Thanks and Hope!

What a blessed year. We've been so blessed to find ourselves in so many great and not so great situations. The great? Mainly just being able to gather weekly on a corner in downtown Omaha with a bunch of our friends each week. Meeting folks who want to help. Meeting folks who need help. Praying for a trailer and having one delivered. The exact one I found in my perusings on the web. And some of the simpler things. Praying for a more efficient way to brew coffee. Might seem like a trivial deal, but when it gets cold here, a good cup of hot coffee goes a long way to warming not only the heart, but maybe the soul. We were blessed last week by the founder of the Scooters Coffee chain. Christian and I met with him last week and he gave us, no strings attached, a Bunn coffee brewing system. And set us up to get coffee donations on an as needed basis. Again, this may seem like a small deal, but when I tell our friends that we are trying to do our best for them, and where it comes from, the Lord Himself, I believe it means something. Because if nothing else, we want to offer dignity and respect. And Hope. I mentioned once before that I almost thanked our friends for being homeless and I know how ridiculous that sounds. But what I meant was I thank them for being in the situation they are in, yet still welcoming all of us into their community. I could be wrong but it certainly seems as though we've built a level of trust and understanding with them. There will always be a level of skepticism I'm sure, but by and large, we're in. Trusted. That's really all I hoped for from the beginning. That we could show a level of God's love from us to them that would be evident from the start. Seems to be working. And the not so great? Well, we've lost a few of our friends. Doug…Scott…30 or so to be exact. No words here. Just our prayers that they rest with our Lord and Savior. And obviously we've faced other challenges and not so great moments. And we probably, or should I say definitely didn't handle them all as gracefully as we should have. We are human. We will fail more often that not. But we'll keep on trying…

2007 was a great year for us. We have been blessed in so many ways. I can't begin to reflect on how many great things have happened in this ministry without mentioning my family first. Robin is obviously all in. She is the glue that holds this thing together. On a physical, spiritual and compassionate level, among other things. Now, obviously, God is the REAL glue, (not to mention the butter…HA!), but my wife is an amazing person when it comes to compassion. If someone were to ask me what one word best describes her, I would not fall into that trap, because there are too many. But compassion would be right at the top of the list for sure. She just has a Godly way of seeing the souls of people and it really keeps me balanced. My kids on the other hand have been blessed in this ministry far beyond what I could ever have imagined. Yesterday, after dong his weekly sock ministry, joyfully with headphones and singing loudly, Nick proclaimed his love for Sundays. Why Nick? Because we get to go downtown and see our friends. And Nick has some friends. Seems as though all of my kids feel that way. I have much to be thankful for to be sure. They get it. I am truly blessed beyond anything I deserve.

And I cannot forget the folks that give of their time, energy and resources. What an amazing group of people that God has blessed us with. And when I say us, I mean all of us on both sides of the equation. I cannot begin to name them one by one, because my feeble brain would surely forget an important cog in this process. Just know that if you have played any role in helping our friends in this ministry, God bless you. He knows. And that is all that really matters. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. There is much work to do for sure, in so many ways, but to all those that have helped in any way, shape or form…THANK YOU!! You also are the glue that holds this crazy thing together. I could go on and on here, and anyone who knows me knows that. :)

And most importantly, to our Lord and Savior, my God, my Father…Lord I thank You and praise You for your Grace and Mercy. Without You, I am nothing. A mess. But through your Grace, you've led a busted individual like myself to a crazy environment on a street corner in downtown Omaha to be a light to a group of people that amaze me constantly. I praise You and thank You for the opportunity to share Your love and Your Word with some folks who we've come to know in a year's time that have simply become family to us. I thank You for the willingness of those that help. I praise You for sending them. I stand back occasionally and marvel at what has happened on that corner. Lord, I know that not all of them get it. That some are just there for the "stuff". And some are there because it makes them feel good. But if we continue to bring the "stuff" in Your Name, maybe someday we'll all get it. That all You want from us is our heart. Our soul. And to do the work you've called us all to do, humbly in Your Name. What ever that may be. And to give you the Praise and Honor you so richly deserve. I praise You for making it all happen. Weekly. I am amazed at Your Greatness. I cannot wait to see what 2008 brings. 2007 was filled with challenges and victories Lord. I'm guessing more of that in '08? We're along for the ride. I pray that You'll continue to lead and guide us and straighten our path when we stray. Thanks You…Thank You…Thank You.

And finally this….from Paul's letter to the Romans – "And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

All thanks to God, and to all who have helped in His ministry, because we have Hope. Thank you all and may God bless you richly in the New Year.

Peace and have a great and blessed week.

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

Ringing the bells…

Another cold Omaha day yesterday. Brutally cold. The kind where the wind stings when it hits any exposed skin. I still don't know how some of our friends live out in this stuff. And lots of them are going into shelters this time of year. But there are still those that somehow manage to exist outdoors even in this weather. Don't know how.

Robin and I were invited to a Christmas party at the Open Door Mission Friday night. It was an honor to be invited and spend the evening with our friends. One of the highlights of the evening was a 40 minute video presentation done by Louie Giglio from Northpoint Church in Atlanta. It was the Indescribable presentation about comprehending the size of the universe and and even though we are stunningly tiny in the overall universal realm, God knows every star by name and also has the magnitude to know each and every one of us. It is an amazing look at His creation. Afterwards, we had opportunities to sit and chat with the "men". That's' how they're referred to at the shelter. The "men". I like to call them my friends. It's funny because I hear them called "the homeless", and all sorts of other collective types of names. And I suppose that's what they are. But we don't call ourselves "the homed". I have a pet peeve about labeling people so when I hear our friends referred to as "the men" or "the homeless", I try to make note not to do that myself. They are great folks who are maybe just going through difficult times. Maybe. So anyway, we had a chance to sit and chat with them. I happened to be a table host. Another label of course. So I chatted with a couple of fellows that I know, Harry and Bill. A sidenote here. Harry was given a camera recently by a social awareness type of group. The goal was to document the life of folks on the streets. The photos were auctioned off and money will go to the shelters. You can see some of the photos here - http://www.myspace.com/concreteconscience. So I sat with Harry and Bill and we prayed and talked. It was a great evening. I mostly talked with Bill.

You see, for some reason, I am extremely drawn to Bill. He was one of the first people we met on our journey in this community we've become immersed in. Met him in the Office that first weekend. You ever meet someone from a totally different walk of life and instantly hit it off with them? That was Bill for me. I mention Bill a lot in my ramblings. Couldn't really tell you exactly why, except I love the guy. How crazy is that? So, as we talked Friday night, I felt for Bill. He really, really want's to change his life. That much is extremely evident. But how? How does he get away from the influences that surround him daily and beat the addictions that rule his way of living. Only way I know is the Grace of God. He was a bit depressed Friday night. We hadn't seen each other since the previous Sunday. And then, Bill was feeling no pain. Zero pain. And we were supposed to meet Thursday for lunch. No show. That happens. He apologized for standing me up. I told him it wasn't a problem. I'd be there every Thursday, just as we're there every Sunday. If he shows, we'll chat, pray, and maybe work through a study program. If not, I'll give a sandwich to someone and be on my way. No worries. I mean, I was certainly disappointed that he didn't show, but that happens. So yesterday, he comes to our corner and he's in much better shape. Been sober for a week. Trying. I tried to hammer the point home Friday that if he ever needed someone to talk to to avoid the demon that haunts him, to call me. I'd meet him for coffee or whatever. He told me he had my number. I don't remember giving it to him, but he had it. Memorized. Told me I was his ace. I told him to keep me up his sleeve. And to call anytime. I'm not trained to help guys with addictions. I've had my own and God has been extremely graceful to me. I know what it's like to come out the other side and live with that seemingly for the rest of our lives. I know what that looks and feels like. I mentioned that to Bill yesterday. We've had 2 great conversations in the past few days. He want's out. I explained that for me, 17 years ago, I wanted out. When I mentioned 17 years, he perked up. He told me I had way too much to lose now. I agree. So does he. He's read through the entire New Testament over the last couple of months. He knows the deal now. Knows what it takes to make it eternally.

There was a memorial service Friday at the day shelter for all the "homeless" folks that passed on the previous year. They rang bells for each one of our friends that have gone before us. Lit candles and had a vigil service for them. As I talked to Bill on Sunday, he mentioned that he had to change. Otherwise, they'd be ringing a bell for him some day. And he doesn't want that. Told me so yesterday. Lord knows I don't want that for any of our friends. And I certainly don't want it for Bill. The thing is, after getting to know Bill a bit better over this past year, I sense a change coming over him. I certainly know that I can do nothing for Bill. Not in the physical sense. Of course I can pray for him. That I do. But he has to want out. Has to want to change. For the first time, I heard him say those words and I sensed that he meant it. He wants to live differently. Will he? I have no idea. I just know he wants it. That's one of the biggest obstacles. Recognizing the need to change. I'll keep on trying. All I can do is what I do. Pray. Meet with him. Pray some more. Be the ace up his sleeve. What else? Only God knows. I have mixed emotions. I have hope certainly. But there are so many Bills. And it pains me to know that bells will be ringing for them. 30 in the past year. That's maybe 30 too many. Doug died a couple of weeks ago. He was one of the 30. I pray that no bells will be ringing for Bill. There's still time for him. He gets it. But will he ultimately get it? Is it worth the effort to keep hoping? Oh I think so. The only bells I want to hear are the Salvation Army bells. Those I can deal with. These other bells? Lord help us to help them. "The men". "The homeless". The Bills. No bells for him. God bless ya Bill. I love ya man!

And to all those who help us help the Bills of our world…Merry Christmas!! And a blessed new year to you all! God bless you all for all the things you do to keep this ministry alive and thriving. Thank you doesn't seem to be enough. But thank you. You are an amazing group and Robin and I are so blessed to call you all friends and to serve in His name alongside of you all. Thank you for being faithful to the call to help those in need. Thank you and God bless you!!!

Peace and have a great and blessed week

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

Doug...

Been a tough week, and a good week. Lots of great stuff happening. Robin sent out an email asking for help to sponsor a couple of families that we know. It's that time of year when some families need help or the little ones might be forgotten. The response was a little overwhelming. And I have to admit, when she first mentioned it to me I was a little skeptical. There are times when I think we might ask for a little too much. But it's not for us. I have to keep that in mind. None of this is for us. It's a blessing to us for sure. But none of it is ours. I ran into a lady today at the Sienna Francis house. We were dropping off some leftover bread and she had locked the keys in her car. Apparently she had a little time on her hands as she waited for a locksmith. As I was unloading the bread, she asked if I needed help? Sure. Asked me what church we were from. I explained our story to her. What it is we do. She nodded. Her words? Have to feed and clothe them first. I agree. Have to. If we don't' someone else will, but I guess God has a plan for us for now.

Doug was a friend of ours. He left us this week. We've known Doug for over a year now. Great guy. Alcoholic. Who knows what else? I really felt pained for Doug. I don't know the entire story of his death. I last saw him on our corner last Sunday. He got there late, but was in good spirits and apparently, minus the "spirits". He had a huge plate of food. We had a little extra last week, so they heaped him up pretty good. He was laughing and having a good time. He's been going with us to our weekly bible study at The Vine on Tuesdays. He wasn't around last Tuesday. We went to the shelter to see if anyone wanted to go, and Doug usually goes with us. Wasn't around Tuesday. So Thursday, I meet Bill. We are going to start meeting for lunch on Thursdays. As Bill and I are walking up the street on Thursday, he drops this bomb on me out of the blue. "Old Doug Etter died last night". ??? Huh? "Old" Doug Etter was about 42 or so. That's not old. And I just found out recently that Doug and I went to Omaha South High together. He was a couple of grades behind me, but we hung in some of the same circles. I vaguely remember him from that time I think, but it's pretty hazy. So when Bill told me that, I couldn't believe it. Doug was a great guy. Loved that guy. Saddened me greatly to hear of Doug's passing. He seemed to be making great strides. Trying to kick his addictions and demons. Doing the weekly bible study. Seemed to be coming around. Did he make it? I know he believed. But was that enough? Man…

And this happened just a couple of days after one of my favorite uncles, Uncle Cy, passed. He was 89. That might, just might be a little old. Another great guy. And this happened about the same time I got the following message from my friend Bob, who is braving the elements on the river in Des Moines…with his permission, it fits…funny how that goes sometimes.

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I have been thinking on this lately. Dec 14 of this year [two days from now], Rick Roe will have been dead one year. I close my eyes and see the drunken smile he had as we both were chugging fifths of gin and headed for oblivion. How when he took the first drink, he would vomit it up. A waste I would laugh and say to him. He would laugh also- but keep the next drink down. How we would both " slam" drink when together , fearfull we wouldnt get our share. We drink fifths in two drinks each on many occassion and passed out. Him usually first and then I would "riffle" his pockets to see if he had any money left for another drink. Sometimes, I really didnt want to drink, but at 4 am he would kick my mat at the Francis House and say " come on, I got plenty of money". Or he would tell me he was barred or shut off from buying it at such and such and I would take his money and buy it.

I remember the last day of his life..................the breakfast we had togther, the drunk we talked about for later and then-----------I got drunk with Al that night and learned of Ricks death the next day.

Rick had asked me the morning of his death to speak at his memorial service and I said something flippant- but agreed to do so. I had know idea that 12 hours later--- he would pass. He used to talk about Rockne, Lombardi, Bryant and all the great football coaches and how they were "with the big coach in the sky". Well.................Rick is there with them I hope. No man actually knows the state of another mans soul or his relationship with his Creator.

May God have mercy on Rick Roe and all the souls of the faithful departed.

The amazing thing is ,,,,,, sometimes I see a guy stagger down the street and for just a moment, I think its Rick. Ya know, when I look deep into their eyes---------it is Rick.

God bless him and all of US like him.

Just rambling I guess..........close to tears now.

Enough said.When ya have church on the corner Sunday-- look for him. Say "hello" for me.

Later bob

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I love Bob's messages. They always seem to come just in time and always carry a certain profoundness. An amazing guy, to be sure.
And an excerpt from a reply I got from Bob…again, with his permission

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I wonder if the Shelters are a place of hope? If Christ were here, wouldnt he be on the corner of 17 and Nicholas at the Francis House talking to the whores, drug addicts, drunks and pimps. Wow, I bet he would be on the corner of 14 and Douglas too. You lucky guy..................

Gods speed and keep on keepin on!

bob
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So it's been a strange week and a great week all wrapped up in one. I see so many great people every Sunday on our corner. They are so appreciative of all that happens there. Helping unload, set up, load after we finish. Even had Keith shoveling snow so we could get going today. He even called last night. The caller id says "Sienna Francis House". Keith is reminding us to bring a shovel and a wrench for the propane stove we use to keep our stuff warm. You better believe I remembered. And he shoveled. Ask and you shall receive? Isn't that how it works. But what I've come to understand even more this week is the love that I feel for these guys. They are becoming more that just our homeless friends. Much more. And when one of them leaves us like Doug did this week…well, we all know how it feels to lose a family member and that is sort of what it felt like. Big time sadness…that's all.

Peace and have a great and blessed week.

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

Doug...we'll miss you man. Peace brother.

Cold…Need…and other stuff…

Today marked the first really cold day we’ve had downtown since probably last February or so. Man it was cold. The number of people was down a bit also. But the need was still there. I forgot how crazy it can get on that corner in the dead of winter. We have a pretty good routine of how we do things down there, even given the fact that not much that happens is very routine. We usually set up our meal, serve until everyone gets through the line, place the clothing bins out for “shopping” and hand out a few hygiene items and then just hang out and do a little fellowshipping. But today was different. When we start serving and see people without gloves, coats, etc, then we have to just improvise. Getting people in the back of the line hot coffee. Passing out gloves and coats as they wait. Gets a little chaotic all at once.

Many cool things have been happening, even though we had a tragedy strike our city this past week. The shooting at the Westroads Mall shopping center was something that words obviously cannot describe. It was a senseless, heinous act for sure and such a shocking day. It gets to the point of over saturation when these things happen, at least from a media standpoint. I guess when I turn on CNN and it is the lead story, it means that it’s a big deal. And it was. Just can’t make sense of it. I’m rambling here, but if you haven’t, could you take a minute to pray for the city of Omaha, the victims and the young man responsible for the shootings. We all need a little healing right now.

Through a posting on a Nebraska football message board, which is simply a glorified form of internet begging, we were able to have enough nice heavy gloves for virtually all of our friends today. I met a fellow named Todd because of my post asking for coats. Todd actually sells sports apparel and just happens to live a few blocks west of us. Brought over some really cool samples last week. Team logo jackets and coats. And when he asked if there was other ways he could help, we had an answer. Do a glove drive for us. That would be a huge help. Yesterday, Todd dropped off bags of gloves. And socks. And more coats. Unbelievable. He said he sent two emails to folks in his church, Calvary Christian, and the result was more than we could have imagined. I remember last year, driving from thrift store to thrift store looking for coats and buying gloves by the dozens. This year, I step out into my garage, which is starting to look like a thrift store in its own right, and we have more coats than we know what to do with. I’m seriously contemplating looking for a storage facility. It’s getting crazy. But it’s the best crazy I could ever have imagined. God is blessing us in ways that simply blow my mind. We have this crazy network that just keeps growing. I remember last year also wondering how in the world we would be able to sustain this thing. Well, we don’t. He does. And has He ever sustained us. And them. I had a guy today, on Douglas Street next to my van, tell me how much he appreciated what we did. And this fellow, Steve, I don’t know his story. Yet. But he said that when he sees us, he sees the love of Jesus. Stopped me dead in my tracks. Lots of these guys are just in survival mode. Get what they can get, and move on. Steve made me remember what it was we are doing. In the chaos of coats, gloves and mass craziness, we are able to share a little of Christ’s love with these great people. And they are great people. Great, great people. I can’t imagine not doing this. When a guy like Steve says those words, from his heart, it helps sustain us. Because I think those words came from God. It was a crazy morning at our house. Shoveling snow off the driveway. Trying to get the trailer into the garage so I could do the loading out of the harsh cold. And it was cold. Did I mention that? And snowing? And Robin and I just weren’t on the same page in some respects. Happens. And I wasn’t necessarily feeling well. That happens also. So when a guy takes me aside and says what Steve said, I have to believe those are Gods’ words. And the Spirit recharges us and we can go on. Because we have a lot of winter months ahead. And the needs will be great.

We had a couple of fire trucks and an ambulance grace our presence today. One of our friends fell and hit his head. We offered them food. Why not? My brother is a paramedic and they, of course, knew him well. Always nice to get to know those guys. Never know when we might need their assistance. They took Alan to the hospital. He seemed to be ok. We’ll pray for his recovery. Hopefully they keep him overnight. It’s cold out on the streets and he wasn’t thinking straight, if you know what I mean. Weather like this mixed with alcohol and guys end up losing toes and feet. Not a good situation.

Finally, I met Joe’s wife today. Irish Joe. He’s talked about her a lot, but we’ve never met her before. Frankly, I wasn’t sure she existed. But he showed me a letter a while back that she’d written him. Broke my heart to talk with her. She and Joe are on the streets now. She was living with her father, but he and Joe apparently didn’t get along. So he’s not welcome there any longer. As we were talking today, I noticed she was wearing a pretty light coat. Asked her if we could get her a heavier coat? She broke down. I have to tell you, there is nothing worse and more heartbreaking that seeing a woman who is on the streets, doesn’t know where she’ll end up and is trying to make sense of it all. My heart just broke for her. They lost their child a while back to Down ’s syndrome. Very young. I just can’t imagine the combination of issues that puts a family on the streets. But it happens. And it is cold. Single digit temps tonight. And lots of these folks live in tents, or in parks or wherever. I just can’t imagine…

Have to quickly tell one other thing. We have a pretty steady group of people who come down to do community service work with us. We’ve had a couple of young girls coming down recently. They also go to a retirement home to meet some of their service requirements. Crazy young girls. They usually show up without coats. Hardly ever have gloves. Do they not live in this same winter world that I live in? I mean I have to laugh and shake my head at times. Today, they show up with bags of blankets. Now this is cool. They got the blankets from the folks at the retirement home. So because of our connection to the Sarpy County Community Service program, these young ladies have now stepped out and are going beyond their service requirement. I am amazed how God connects all the dots. Blankets from some fine ladies in a retirement home for our homeless friends via some young ladies doing community service hours. Yeah. That’s cool.

So my heart is heavy tonight. The shootings. Our friends out in the harsh elements that Midwestern winters often bring. Hard to make sense of it sometimes. Lots of months left in this winter. We’re just beginning. Lots of grieving left for those impacted by the mall shootings. I pray for those families. And for our friends. In the shelters and under bridges and in tents down by the river. God be with them all…

Peace and have a great and blessed week.

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

An Open Letter…

Dear Neighbor,

My name is A_ _ _ and I deliver your weekly paper. I also do volunteer work in Omaha every Sunday with my family. We make food for the homeless and we give out toiletries and clothing to those in need.

Now that it is getting cooler we need sweatshirts, tube socks, coats, scarves, mittens, boots, blankets, sleeping bags and tents if you have one.

Some of the people do not get to sleep in a shelter. They sleep in forests – in ripped up tents and under bridges and in parks that look sad.

I give out toiletries every week with my dad. We often run out of stuff. This is what we need: soap, toothpaste, brushes, shampoo, foot powder, deodorant (tons of that as they use it alot). Ladies toiletries, backpacks and plastic bags.

Please call me on xxx-xxxx then we can pick up your donated items. Thank you very much. From A _ _ _ age 8 ½ and her mum and dad.

****************************************************************

The above letter was obviously written by an 8 ½ year old girl. When I saw this letter, I was absolutely blown away. Absolutely blown away. And you know why? Because a little girl gets it. She absolutely gets it. She came down to our downtown corner with her parents to help and went home with the idea that she would write a letter to people on her paper route to ask for help. Rarely a day goes by anymore without something really cool happening within this ministry. But this was so profound to me on many levels. First and foremost, like I said, she gets it. That there are people in need, in “forests – in ripped up tents and under bridges and in parks that look sad.” Lets help them. Seems pretty simple.

From the mind and mouths of children come some of the most wicked cool things sometimes, but that line, to me speaks volumes. One of our friends downtown, Harry, is a Vietnam vet. Harry lived in a “forest” for a while. He’s “relocated” to a shelter for now. Weather is hitting us pretty good right now. But there are still those who resist and stay in tents down close to the river. I don’t know how they do it. I don’t know how a person can possibly survive the winters in this town living outside with a thin tent as their sole protection against the harsh elements. But they do. And when this little girl learned of these folks, she took action. She did what her heart led her to. And in her heart? The love of Christ. The love of our Savior that lives in the heart of children. And the coolest thing about this, to me anyway, is the irony of a child helping a homeless person. A person in need. It’s easy to look at our kids and see them as needy (and Lord knows mine are sometimes) and it’s even easier to look at our friends downtown and see their needs. They are pretty hard to ignore sometimes. Especially today with our first taste of Nebraska winter. Guys standing in line waiting for a hot meal with no coat, no gloves, wet and torn sneakers. Nothing will move me to action quicker than that. Coats? We got ‘em. Gloves? Different story. We need gloves. Our friends need gloves. Boots? They need those also. And this little girl saw the need and stepped out to make a difference. Want an amazing testimony to the heart of a child. And child-like faith. To know that if she took the step, people would respond. And they have. One couple left word that they had a bag of things for her. When she went to pick up the donation, there was a note attached that stated they didn’t have any toiletry items, but they gave her $20 for her cause to pick up some of those items. An elderly couple who have no idea where or who that donation would go to, but who were willing to help out because a little girl asked. In a way that would be hard to say no to. For me anyway. I read her letter and was just moved. That a mission God blessed us with a little over a year ago would bear fruit in this way. That this little girl could be touched and moved to action. That many more are touched and moved to action weekly. Some daily. I’m profoundly amazed that there is such a need in the first place. I mean, we know there will always be those in need. It just works that way I guess. But the sheer fact that so many people are willing to give up their Sunday to help out in so many ways is something else. And that people from all faiths and denominations have listened to the call for help and have jumped on board is even more testimony to the work that God has called us all to.

I can’t shake the verse in James that speaks to helping those in need. I’ve referenced it before, but is simply says that if we tell our brother or sister to go, be well and stay warm, yet do nothing to help that individual, then what are we really doing? We meet people of all races, all nationalities, and all ages. There’s no discrimination when it comes to need. It crosses all boundaries. But some of the folks we meet are so very genuine. And so many of them know and love the Lord. They just are where they are and we are just along for the ride. The ride that includes a letter from a little girl asking others for help. One of the littlest of those seeking to help the least of those. And then doing something about it. Wow. Humbles and inspires me to get out into the “forest” and fix some of those ripped tents. To get out under the bridges and bring the joy of Christ to erase the sadness.

The thing is, when Robin and I felt this call to service, it was obvious that we couldn’t do it alone. We knew that. We had no idea where the journey would lead us. And who else might jump on for the ride. We’ve been blessed from day 1 in that regard. This letter tells me we’ll be blessed for as long as He wants us to continue. I’ve never once felt like this should end. By that I mean that I’ve felt that we’d do this for the duration. How long is that? Who knows? One guy asked me last week how long we’d be doing this. I think he was wondering if we’d be stopping for the winter. Nah. No stopping. I told him that when we see Gabriel stepping out on a cloud to call us all home, then I guess that’d be when we stopped. I don’t know. I just feel blessed to be a small part of what God is doing in that community. And this letter says it all for me. I love this ministry and I love God with all my heart and I absolutely love that He is using people of all races, ages, faiths, denominations, and walks of life to help people of all races, ages, faiths, denominations, and walks of life. Funny how that works. I want to openly thank this young lady for her efforts. I can’t imagine a more perfect letter, through the heart of a child to make a difference in the name of Christ. Thanks young lady and may you be blessed beyond your wildest imaginations. I know I have been. :)

Peace and have a great and blessed week.

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

Giving Thanks!

Now this was a strange day indeed. Once again, I simply don’t know where to begin. I’ve had a little time off this past week. Thanksgiving and all. So when we went downtown today, it seemed as though we hadn’t been down in a few weeks. I was just out of sorts. It was a great day. They all are. Haven’t had a bad one yet, if I recall correctly. But today was just a bit odd. We had an arrest…ran out of cups for soup…had more people showing up to help than I’ve ever seen before…just an odd day. Now if these are the worst problems we have to deal with, I’ll take ‘em. I mean, the fellow that got arrested might think differently, but from what I gather, he’s not a first timer, if ya know what I mean. Running out of cups? Hey we got creative. Used some Glad Ziploc baggies and other containers. Whatever works. And the people? Good grief! There were more people showing up to help than I can ever remember. I am absolutely amazed at how many people show up each week AND come back.

I think it’s easy, especially at this time of year and during the holidays, to want to help out in some way. In a civic or community sort of way. Or in a Godly way. I just think it’s easier to get in the spirit of this time of year and want to do something meaningful. What is so cool to me, on a personal level, is the way God moves and uses people within our circle to make an impact in people’s lives. Not the least of which is there own lives. We’ve been blessed in so many ways to have people who are so willing to give of their time and efforts. There is a family, who shall remain nameless because that’s the way they’d have it, who have been an extreme blessing to us and our friends downtown, This couple and their kids come down every week and are fully in. They’ve done things so far beyond the call that I am simply in awe. Let’s just say that they are a big reason that we are able to take all the things down every week and they have made this ministry so much more viable. It is so amazing to me when folks like this hear the call to His service and jump in. This couple and their two daughters are simply a blessing from God for us. Now I say that because it seems as though they are constantly seeking ways to lessen the burden on Robin and myself. As if this thing is a burden?! Ha! Sure, it’s a lot of physical work…cooking…managing oodles of clothing donations…cooking….loading the trailer on Sunday morning…and did I mention cooking? But it really is something that I can’t imagine us not doing at this point. And when people like this jump in and humbly serve, it is almost overwhelming. Robin met these folks through a home school group a few months ago and I can’t imagine them not being here now. They are a fixture and it is amazing to see God work through them. Amazing. Lots to be thankful for. And for this family? I am extremely grateful and very thankful.

Like I said, we had an arrest today on our corner. I figured it would happen sooner or later. Lots of these guys have warrants and such, so it’s not that surprising. As I was working my way through the line of folks waiting to eat, I came across Charlotte. On the sidewalk about 10 feet away was Jerry. Now Charlotte is a little out there. I love her, but she isn’t quite all together. And that’s a side note here. Omaha just really doesn’t have the facilities to care for people who may be in need of mental care facilities. A long term care facility was closed sometime in the past few years and I assume these folks are now living in various shelters. It just breaks my heart to see some of these folks when I know they aren’t getting the care they need. So Charlotte was off on a rant. She’s probably in her mid to late 40s? African American. Very slight in build. And very vocal at times. Jerry is probably late 30s or so. Average height. Alcohol problem for sure. Don’t see him that often, but he’s been around off and on for the past year. So she said he was harassing her. He said not. A little while later, apparently, Charlotte walked across the street and asked our local police officer for a little help. Unbeknownst to me. So I was trying to defuse the situation and the next thing I know, I get a tap on the shoulder letting me know that Omaha’s finest was on the scene and he’d handle it from here. It wasn’t a big scene or anything. Just quietly led him away a little bit later and took him to the station. Just a little more weirdness added to the afternoon. I have to add here that Charlotte is affectionately known to some of us who go down regularly as the “bird dookey lady”. There’s a story behind the name. And the reason it stuck is the reason a lot of our friends have various nicknames. It’s a lot easier to remember some of the names if we can associate something to them. In Charlotte’s case, it was an outburst this past summer. She was upset that we were serving our meals under the trees in the park. Seems she was worried about all the bird “dookey” that might fall from the trees into the food. Said she’d call the local TV station to alert them to the fact that we were serving food in an unsanitary situation. Get us shut down. She was on a rant. So now? She’s the bird dookey lady.

One other thing that has been happening lately is the flood of coats and coats and more coats that are completely overtaking our garage right now. We have had two local high schools run coat drives for us and have gotten coats from so many places I have no idea what we will do with all of them. Well, I have an idea, I just never thought we’d see so many. Last year at this time, I was spending hours searching through Goodwill stores and thrift stores for coats and winter gear. Now? I’ve installed a hanging system in my garage to accommodate all this stuff. I gave a coat to a fellow today and he was so thankful. Said now he had a coat that would keep him through the winter. All because someone’s generosity (and over abundance) led them to us. We are simply the conduit. The pass through. But because someone or a whole bunch of someones gave generously, our friends will stay maybe a little warmer over the next few months. If I were to make a guess, I’d bet that we have probably been blessed to get, give or have in our possession 150 or 200 coats. I’ll never forget our friend Andrew showing up last winter in below zero weather with no coat on. Never forget it. Why was he in that situation? No idea. But he needed it. God provided it. Pretty simple. Because we are so blessed to be in cahoots with great people who want to help and see the need to help those who are in less fortunate situations. It’s not about the coats. But I’d be willing to bet that every time one of our friends remembers the blessing they got from someone on that corner and where it ultimately comes from, well I’d venture a guess that they know where it all comes from. And it certainly isn’t from us. As my friend Bill always says, we are simply the runners.

And apparently a local church has collection bins set up for this ministry. Someone dropped off a few bags of things today for our fiends. From Glad Tidings. I never imagined what this would look like after a year. How could we know? But now? It’s just moving along and God has His hand all over it. I found a place that gives away free bibles. Just have to pay shipping. Seven bucks a case. So now we have people committed to several cases. We set up tables to give them away. Along with Pocket Testaments. Also free and free shipping! How cool is that?! Very! God has us covered. Just have to be there. Make the effort. Even on weird days like today. Seemed like we were no sooner finished setting up, praying and beginning the whole affair, and I looked around and everyone was gone. And it was just me and Nick and one of his buddies tossing a football on the sidewalk…waiting for Robin to finish a conversation with Ugu. Ya know, the more some things change, the more they stay the same. Back when we were in church on Sunday, lots of times I’d get to the point where I would literally pull the car around the front of the church and wait on her. Yep , I was one of those guys. Today? The van was already there. And we were once again waiting on her. And it was a good thing. A God thing, I love Him with all my heart and I just cannot imagine where we’d be as a family if we weren’t involved in this great work of His. Can’t imagine…

Anyway, I could ramble on and on. I won’t. Just have lots to be thankful for today. Lots. And this time of year it’s especially important to remember, for me at least, just how blessed I am. Gotta give back. Have to. God has smiled on me in ways I simply don’t deserve. A great family, a beautiful home, a terrific job and a wonderful relationship with His Son. I am indeed a blessed man.

Matthew 25:34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Peace and have a great and blessed week.

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

Joyful Ramblings...

Year two. Something about those two simple words just make me smile. Today we embarked on our second year of service to the good folks in the downtown community, but more importantly, to God. What a joy it’s been this past year. What a total blessing to Robin, the kids and myself. You know how weeks and months seem to get away from you at times? Well it’s getting away from me at breakneck speed these days. This past year or so has been incredibly challenging at times in so many ways. Spiritually challenging, in the sense that I have never been more challenged in my entire life that in this past year. On so many levels. It’s been a challenge also from a time aspect. As in not enough hours in a day. We all have that problem, but man does it seem to wear on me at times. It’s been a busy year. And lots of important milestones have come and gone for us. My oldest son turned 13 this year. That is indeed a milestone. And a challenge for sure. But he is a great kid. He is, however 13. Anyone with a 13 year old knows the deal. I also finished school this year. Another milestone. Never realized how much time that would take. Seems as though I might have a little "free time" on my hands. Yeah, right. :) Robin and I celebrated 16 wonderful years together this year. Time does indeed have a way of getting by us.

But one of the most important milestones for me personally, was the recent completion of our first year of service in this ministry to our Lord and Savior. Serving in this ministry has been an unbelievable mission experience and a truly humbling experience for me in so many ways. I could not begin to recount all the experiences of the past year. Thousands of meals, thousands of handshakes and hugs, hundreds of conversations, lots of prayer, and just genuine love and fellowship on a downtown street corner in Omaha, Nebraska. Who would thunk it? Not me. Not just a few short years ago. But now? He’s got us working for Him and it is nothing but Joy, with a capital J! I talked to a fellow today who asked for a pair of boots last week. Starting to get winterized here. Boots, coats and gloves are becoming the items of choice. I remember spending hours last year shopping at local Goodwill stores and various thrift stores looking for coats and winter gear. This year? Not so much. I must have a couple hundred coats in my garage. This thing is just happening now. God is blessing us with so much that I am just in disbelief at how blessed we really are. So John needed boots. Got some of those in the garage also. Been "collecting" them. Knew the time was coming. So as I meet with him on the street, he thanks me profusely. And I tell him that the thanks needs to go to the One who is responsible for all we do. And his response? He’ll do that, but he just hugged me and told me how thankful he was that we were there. He said that they talked about us coming down on Sundays. They looked forward to Sunday. Because we brought Joy down with us. Yep. Capital J. Because to me, that Joy is obviously straight from Christ. In fact, that Joy is Christ. Now this fellow is one of the nicest guys. Very soft spoken, with a bit of a southern drawl. And when he told me that we bring Joy to the park on Sundays, all I could do was smile and agree. Because we do. But it’s not from us. We absolutely love what God has us doing. But it’s all about Him. Has nothing to do with us. Heck, I can hardly manage my way through the day, much less pull something like this off. So when I tell him and all those we serve and are in fellowship with who the thanks needs to go to, they get it. Another fellow, Gary, just laughed today when I told him we are simply the legs. God’s legs. Big shoes to fill on those legs. For sure. But I love where He has us. I come home on Sundays and I feel like I’ve been in the House of the Lord. It’s good.

The boy scouts came down today. What a great troop! They cooked the entire meal, and handled most of the serving. Which gave us "regulars" even more time to fellowship with our friends. They brought tons of soup. Mexican chili, taco soup, whatever they called it, the folks in the park raved about it. What a deal! I saw some of them going around picking up trash, serving, and doing what scouts do. What a blessing to have them there today. And what a great meal they prepared. It’s nothing short of amazing to me how many people want to help. Their scout leader saw our ad at my office and volunteered his boys to come and do the deed. And they did it up right!

Here’s something that almost broke me up today. There’s a fellow who comes down pretty regularly. We’ve known him for about a year now. They call him Turbo. He goes all out all the time. I’d guess he’s in his late 40s? Early 50s? Now this guy is one hard worker. Always has a job. Has his own place. But he hangs with a lot of the homeless fellows that we know. Doesn’t have drinking problem. Just a really good guy. About my size, with the most calloused hands of any guy I’ve ever met. Every time I shake his hand, it amazes me how rough and grizzly his hands are. So he and Erin are buddies. Well, Turbo doesn’t hang around here for winter. Can’t blame him. He heads west. Arizona for a few weeks to work a trade show, a week in San Diego to visit mom and then the winter in San Francisco to work. I tell him today that he better not leave without saying goodbye. And he definitely better not leave without telling Erin goodbye. Said he didn’t know if he could do it. Got a little emotional talking about it. A bond has formed between Erin and Turbo. A bond forged by God. Because there is no way a little girl from the suburbs should even know this guy, much less be hanging out with him for a couple hours on a Sunday. But it’s happening. And what a blessing some of these guys have been to my kids. And I’m pretty sure that goes both ways. In fact, I know it does. And the way Erin runs that corner I might start calling her little Turbo!


One last thing and this was really cool. I met a guy today that wanted to come down and help. Said he’s been praying that God would lead him to something where he could be of service. He took some kids from his youth group out on Friday night. They went to some local restaurants to get food to take to anyone who might be hungry in the park. They met my friend Bill. Chance meeting? I tend to think not. So they start talking to Bill about the Bible and things. Well old, Bill reaches into his pocket and takes out his Bible and starts talking back. Blew this guy’s mind. :) And then you know what happened? Bill invites him to come down to the park on Sunday. Now this guy had been praying that God would lead him into some type of service. I think, through Bill, he got his answer. There are so many opportunities. Every week. Well over a hundred, a hundred and fifty, two hundred. Lots of opportunities to be in His service. This fellow just happened to stumble into Bill, otherwise known as Mr. opportunity. What an deal. And Bill invites him down. And today, on our corner, Bill introduces me to Robert. So now, we have guys that we serve and that we are in fellowship with inviting other people down to our corner on Sundays. Unbelievable. Who would have thunk it? Homeless guys inviting street evangelists down to fellowship with us. Too cool…

I’ll end here with a message from Bob. Bob is my buddy from Des Moines. He sent us a note last week to congratulate us on making it to year number two. Here’s his note…
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I was there a year ago when ya started. There were just a few of us that first day and we were hungry. I was one that figured us tramps would have burned ya up by now. Obviously not, so that says the mission is not of your own making - but of Our Fathers.
Just let it roll and rest in Christs mercy and graces.
Congrats.
bob
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Man, I love that guy…

Peace and have a great and blessed week.

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