Various Trials 3/10/12

"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

(James 1:2-4)

"And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings aboutperseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hopedoes not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

(Romans 5:3-5)

I'm sitting here, today, inside the Meyer Center because it is raining like crazy outside. In fact, it has been raining for the past few days. Rain for a homeless person is treacherous. It means not going anywhere, not getting anything done, and if you happen to work, it is more than likely outside, and rain means no work. People get cranky and tempers flare. Racial slurs get tossed around and fights break out. All because of rain. Rain is supposed to be a blessing! It IS a blessing! But when people don't recognize it for what it is, bad things happen. Plus, Monday my hat was stolen, Wednesday, the pedal fell off my bike, not just while I was riding it either. It was on the front of the bus! It is GONE! My cross necklace, my bracelet, and one of my gloves (yes, one) were stolen, I left my keys to my locker and bike in my boss' truck and won't get them until Monday, my jeans both have holes in bad places and one pair has an extra tear in the side of the leg. All of these things are not fun and they happen every day to these people. Yet God is reminding me at the bottom of this page that I "will go out in joy and be led forth in peace." (Isaiah 55:12) (thank you, Laura, for this wonderful journal!) This is because of the verses at the beginning of this entry. We rejoice in our sufferings and consider trials to be pure joy because they produce perseverance! And the only way to persevere is through consistency in the Word and prayer. That was last nights chapel service. Consistency. Be consistent with God and you will be less inclined to fall into sin, especially when going through trials. "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh." (Galatians 5:16) Without consistency, you won't persevere in trials and therefore won't produce patience in your life. Remember these two words. Consistency and Perseverance.

3/3/12

Today, I spent about two and a half hours in a room dedicated to prayer and just spent time with my creator! What an experience! I found a pamphlet thing called "Seven Steps to Freedom in Christ" and went through it. It basically takes you back to every single aspect of your life and causes you to break bondages of sin in every area. Past and present. Inhereted sins, sins you didn't know about, and demonic influences that you had no idea were there. I'm not sure that I am completely free in Christ, but I am much more free than I was! Praise God that there is freedom through His son! This freedom is essential to serving Him to full capacity because without it, we are slaves to our sin and bound by it! Until we release that, we can't be free to run, serve, worship and communicate with Him beacause sin cannot be in His presence. Known or unknown. I highly recommend spending a good amount of time bringing (allowing God to bring) things to your mind that you may not know about and confessing them to Him. Be free in Christ!

"Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. So if the son makes you free, you will be free indeed."
(John 8:34-36)

"It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject to a yoke of slavery."
(Galatians 5:1)

3/1/12

It's been ten days since I journaled last. So much has happened that I don't know where to begin! I was sitting in the common room after breakfast on the 23rd when a man came in and whispered in my ear, "do you want to work?" Of course I said "yes!" He said, "you have five minutes". That would have been awesome but I just so happened to be doing my laundry...all of my laundry. I was wearing athletic shorts, a t-shirt, and shoes...I didn't even have socks on! And guess what I did all day! Weed eated. But forty bucks ain't bad pay for cut up legs and nasty feet when you have nothing! I was so grateful! Under normal circumstances, I probably would have turned that down. But being desperate makes you do crazy things!

(After thought)
The bible says to not worry about what you will wear, eat, or drink. To trust God to provide those things for you. The end of the passage, though, gives us a prerequisite to having these things. "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and [then] all these things will be added to you." (Matthew 6:33 bold print is mine) To be able to trust God for these things we must seek His kingdom first! We can't say to God, "I have my job that supplies my needs and quite a few of my wants, God! So what do you want me to do?" (and we say it with such enthusiasm!) We must say to Him, "God, where do you want me? When you take me there, I will trust you to provide everything I need through either a job or the support of others!" Seek His kingdom first and He will provide what you need! I challenge you to pray the second prayer and STOP praying the first! I went to Waco, because God told me to and fully expected Him to provide what I needed to get through it and get back. He did! He gave me that job and it paid for exactly what I needed! My bus ticket, another believers bus ticket, it bailed a good friend and brother in Christ, who happens to be homeless, out of jail (he was driving on a suspended license) and so many little things that were needed! When I got on the bus to come home, I had ten dollars that I spent on food for the trip. Incredible!! I am still overwhelmed by this! Praise God for supplying every need for those that do His will!

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
(Matthew 6:25-33)

At the end of the day, back at the Meyer Center, before I got in the shower, a man looked right at me and said, "I'm going to have a seizure! Call an ambulance!" I immediately got him his meds and got him to the floor where he turned to the exact position he was supposed to turn to! He has apparently done this before. Someone called 911 while he had a mild seizure. When the paramedics got there he told them he had pneumonia...I had been holding this mans hand and head (sometimes placing my head on his) for the past ten minutes and NOW he decides to say this??? I'll admit...I was pretty nervous and took a shower that left my skin red but I know that I was put there for that one man. And God does not allow His children to be harmed when they are doing His work! Do not fear! Step out in boldness and reach the lost! The Almighty God will protect you!

"And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven."
(Luke 10:18-20)

(After thought)
God will protect those that do His work. I'm not saying to purposefully put yourself in harmful situations. But when God tells you to do something, like care for the sick, don't let the fear of becoming sick yourself stop you from helping that person. Trust God to protect you and know that He has your best interest in mind!

2/20/12

Saturday was nothing but rain. I rode around from place to place just to stay dry. They were watching movies that weren't exactly uplifting, so when there was a lull in the rain I went over to the Columbus Avenue Baptist Church Gym and hung out with Mark for a while. When they made us leave there, we went to the Christian Men's Job Corps and heated up our Ramen Noodle lunch. I started to miss my family and decided that it was okay to send e-mails and later decided that it was okay to call. :) I talked to mom for about an hour and was very encouraged to hear the spiritual growth that is happening because of my being gone! Their prayer life has definitely increased! I can't wait to get our ministry going back home and I am very excited that I won't have to do any persuading! Praise God for His work in my family's life!

Saturday evening, the Methodist Church came to the shelter with about fifty people! What a blessing that was! They brought pizza, cookies, cake, and drinks for everyone! But most importantly, they listened to our stories. That and sharing the gospel are the two most important things you can do! Just knowing someone cares is so important to those that are broken and alone! "Let them say among the nations, 'The Lord reigns!'"

Sing to the LORD, all the earth;
Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. Tell of His glory among the nations,
His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
He also is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
But the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before Him,
Strength and joy are in His place. Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,
Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name;
Bring an offering, and come before Him;
Worship the LORD in holy array. Tremble before Him, all the earth;
Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
And let them say among the nations, “THE LORD REIGNS.”
(1 Chronicles 16:23-31)

2/15/12

So I talked to the Director of the Meyer Center today because it is required if you want to stay there. I ended up telling him the truth of why I am, in fact, in Waco. He thought it was awesome but didn't think I was being hard enough on myself. I was so relieved when I heard that because I thought he would make me leave knowing I had an "invisible backpack" as he called it. But wait...not hard enough??? On top of making sure I get to ten different places on time every day so I don't miss out on food for the day and a place to sleep at night, I now have to complete certain tasks and report back to him! Tasks such as go to the work force and get signed up for job search, which is a bus ride away, sit all day at day labor and pray for a job to show, simulate what it I would have to do if I needed to get a tooth pulled, go hang out in the park with all the homeless and see what happens when lots of drunk, some mentally unstable, guys get together, go to 'Caritas' to get food and clothes, and lots of other things! Oh, Lord, help me! I am getting the real deal now! But one thing still bothers me. At the end of this trip, I am going home. For these people, there is no end in sight! They seem to have no hope of ever getting out and that devastates me. But I am here to give them the hope of a future in Jesus Christ! Lord, work through me as I share your love with a broken world!

"You chart the path ahead of me...Every moment You know where I am." Psalm 139:3

Just another day...2/14/12

Sometimes, the previous entry is all that runs through my head and I get discouraged, but I remember Romans 5:3 and God invades my life once again. "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." I have hope in the Lord because of my sufferings but that still does nothing for those without Christ. What they need more than anything is the Love of Christ in their lives. Everything else will be taken care of. How can a group of people given so much in a time of need be so ungrateful that they complain about having cereal for breakfast? Having nothing has forced them to greed! They have no respect for other peoples property! Once again, I am complaining about other people and forgetting to thank God for His wonderful hope that comes through Jesus Christ. I have been given everything I need through Him. I have a roof over my head, food in my stomach, and all the time in the world to spend with my savior!

The highlight of my evening? Listening to an alcoholic spill his life story, share with me the hardships of trying to to obtain an I.D., and how stuck you really are without one. He has a family that would drop everything to help him but is too proud to even tell them his situation. He is on the streets until he humbles himself. I had the opportunity to share that "God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble" and that "apart from Him we can do nothing". He said "I guess I'm stuck then." I said "Yeah, until you move, you are!" I proceeded to pray with him that God would reveal Himself to him in a powerful way and that he would accept God's way of life and surrender to Him. He was very receptive and open to conversation in the future. Being able to share Christ with others takes going to where they are. It seems that the only ones that are open to it are the broken. If you want to see lives changed, you must go to the broken and share Christ. What an opportunity! I am so grateful for the time I had with this man! And its just another day in the Kingdom of God. But first we must go.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20

2/10/12

Mark Godfrey is a man that spent a total of 30 years behind prison bars. Fourteen and a half this last time. God found him in prison and gave him a heart for prisoners and prophecy and is currently working on a series of books called "Prophecy for the Prisoners Release". When he got out he landed a sales job and recently lost it due to cost cuts. This forced his onto the streets of Waco. This is a good Christian man who is an AMAZING salesman that was found in the wrong circumstances. Everyone could be in this same situation at any time. Don't look down on men for their homelessness. Love them like Jesus and lead them to Him because you could be in the exact same boat tomorrow. This man is incredible. He has taken me under his wing and loves showing me how to live homeless. And, apparently, to get anything done, you HAVE to have bike! So the little money I have made playing a guitar is going to a bike! This way I will have the ability to go place to place looking for people to play for! Thank you Mark!

Living homeless is hard and it takes a lot of effort to get even small amounts of money for things like doing your laundry, and getting some extra clothes at a thrift store. I came here with the intention of living homeless to help them and experience what it was like to be totally destitute. I am definitely feeling that. No matter how long I sit somewhere and play guitar, people just keep walking by. They kind of nod their heads and half smile to be nice, but no one takes time to find out the story behind the face of a guy playing guitar on the street corner for spare change. I had to go to the bar the other day just to make any money. The people willing to help are the ones you wouldn't expect. But the people you would expect to help, like people on a christian college campus, don't look twice. This world is so twisted! The church is twisted!! WAKE UP!!! There are desperate people all around you that are crying out for help and you act like they aren't even there!!!

"Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Matthew 25:45 (read verses 31-45)