Tag Archive | homeless

His Perfect Timing

On my way to feed the homeless yesterday, the thought came to me to stop and check my post office box for mail. I keep that box strictly for book ministry mail and normally always check it on the way back. Reasoning, that I would have more time if I checked it later, resulted in my simply brushing the thought away. How many can join me in finding that, hindsight, often speaks louder than the Lord?

So after a delightful evening of beautiful sunshine, laughter with friends–my homeless and some, non-homeless family–after having served up a feast from, 5loaves2fish, of fresh-caught lake trout, thank you Carlson’s of Leland, fresh garden salad, potato salad, fresh fruit compote, dinner rolls and warm chocolate bread pudding. All homemade–all infused with love! Now, incredibly content, and heading home, I stopped to get my mail. My heart was already full and happy, but yet, there was more– for there in my box, leaned a long white envelope.

It’s always exciting to see real mail.

There is an old adage, “The road is paved with good intentions.” Many say, and intend to do something–even declaring it, but never do it. Truly, pavement, is all a ‘good intention’ is worth, if one doesn’t ever follow through!

However, in Heaven, the Bible tells us, the streets are paved with pure gold!

This ‘pavement’ in my mailbox is–pure gold!

The envelope contained a check from the U.S. Treasury Department, and it took me a minute to realize what it was. I had received a letter from Nicholas about a week ago. Nicholas is a prisoner I have written about before. He had contacted me for books for a class they had allowed him to develop for his prison, in conjunction with Duke University, Divinity Grad School students. He wanted my books to be mandatory reading for the class. With many thanks to Chaplain White, we were able to make that happen. The class was so popular, they graduated 3 classes of men and had over 40 men still on a waiting list to take it. Unfortunately, Chaplain White, either retired or transferred, and the new chaplain shut the class down–declaring that it wasn’t regulation. He also stopped Nicholas from preaching and nearly broke his heart. I urged him to be patient. The chaplain’s reasoning for not allowing him to continue preaching was that he wasn’t an ordained minister. No one can stop God’s plan though, and a visiting clergy came in a few weeks later, told Nicholas that God was pressing on him to come back and ordain him. Two weeks later, he did just that! Nicholas’ preaching has brought many men to salvation and his last letter to me stated that he is blessed to have baptized 119 men in 3 years. I am happy to report that the new chaplain has since gotten to know Nicholas, and he has been allowing him to preach again.

So, why am I telling you all this? Well, the check was from Nicholas, and he had told me that he wanted to join me in feeding the poor. He states that he has a heart for the homeless and wants to serve them when he gets out. He dreams of having a food truck that he can drive around and serve them, right where they are at. Since his circumstances prevent him from doing that, he is starting right now, right where he’s at, and sent a check asking me to get what I could for them.

In God’s and (my) eyes, that $5.00 is like 5 million!

It’s not about the amount is it?

No, it’s all about the heart ♥

“He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury; and he saw a poor widow put in two copper coins. And he said, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; for they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all the living that she had.'” Luke 21:2

Nicholas tells me they take half of his check for restitution and out of the remaining he gives to 4 churches and a ministry that helps women that have become victims of sex crimes. This is a man that has repented, received the cleansing Blood of Jesus, and has a committed heart–

A heart of ‘pavement’–the purest gold of Heaven!

“Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work. As it is written, ‘He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever.’ He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your resources and increase the harvest of your righteousness.” 2Corinthians 9:7-10

We can take a lesson from Nicholas–he KNOWS he messed up. It breaks his heart every day, the harm he caused others and especially the hurt his family is experiencing. Yet, he’s not sulking and shutting down. He has reached out to God and received forgiveness and His abundant love, to first be restored himself, and then to share it with others. He’s surely not free physically, but he is living the freedom the Lord Jesus has bought and paid for him–and doing more valuable work than many will ever do in their entire lifetime.

How about you?

Are you living the life Jesus bought for you or does it need tweaking? Do you even know Him–really KNOW Him???

Be encouraged, Nicholas, is proof that God can use you in any situation, no matter what you have done. All He needs is for you to turn to Him and say yes!

Don’t wait to the end of your life to find out what you may have missed. Life is too short and you are needed now!

Seek Him today!

So, why did I title this “His Perfect Timing”? It wasn’t just because of the check that came on the day I served the homeless, but also a letter, that I had written to Nicholas, took 6 weeks to reach him, and when did he receive it?

Father’s Day!

Happy Father’s Day, Nicholas. It’s long past, but your wife tells me your oldest son is getting baptized this weekend!! You won’t be reading this but I’m just throwing that out there to you. I know you are busting your buttons over him! It’s such a blessing to ‘hear’ you, through your letters, proudly talk of all your children and your wife. I pray that you will soon join your family again . . . In the meantime, thank you for the check and all your hard work in leading men to Jesus . . .

Thank you for doing your part right where you are!

Our Heavenly Father, is busting His buttons over you!

I am excited to announce that an order for 1,200 prison books, the “His Voice In My Heart” series, is at the printers now and will soon be sent to Prison Book Project, the ministry that sends them on to prisons, jails and rehab centers all over the country; and even to our men and women serving our country overseas. It’s but a widow’s mite in my heart because, frankly, I can’t get enough books into their hands; but for what I have been able to do, I am eternally grateful. A big thank you to everyone that has contributed to help me in this ministry!

To all of you, and to Nicholas, this scripture is for you . . .

“It is well with the man who deals generously and lends, who conducts his affairs with justice. For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered for ever. He is not afraid of evil tidings; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.” Psalm 112:5-7

The True Meaning Of Christmas

Dec24

Last night, a group I am blessed to serve with, 5loaves2fish, offered our homeless a special meal of Roast Pork Tenderloin, caramelized with a delicious mustard sauce and served with a pour-over of rich au jus. This was accompanied with roasted fresh purple carrots and potatoes, Ceasar salad, homemade dinner rolls and fragrant, homemade sticky Cinna-bites for dessert.

It is Jesus’ gift to me, to be given the privilege to offer such a beautiful and delicious meal to a special group of guests–near and dear to His heart! It is in His trust that we love as He loves. It is out of His compassion that we pour His love out of our hearts week after week, all year long, year after year.

It is truly better to give than to receive, but we could truly not give, lest first we’ve received–kindness and grace only come from above.

We love, because He first loved us.

If your thoughts and heart are irritated to hear of a lavish meal and warm bed being offered to those without, my prayer is for you to receive; for they have found the riches you lack–

they truly appreciate and want to give back!

“We love, because he first loved us. If any one says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should love his brother also.” I John 4:19-20

Merry Christmas Everyone!

I pray that you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

May your heart be filled with His love and compassion to overflow onto those He leads your way.

May you have peace that surpasses all understanding. May you be rich with the true riches found only in Him!

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV

May you find Jesus, and He will then be with you every step of the way.

May you be BLESSED!

This, my friends, is the true meaning of Christmas . . .

“He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.” Luke 3:11

“Is this not the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, Here I am. If you take away from the midst of you the yoke, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness. If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness, and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your desire with good things, and make your bones strong; and you shall be a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. and your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.” Isaiah 58:6-12

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” John 3:16-18

JESUS, is the True meaning of Christmas! ♥

This year, if you haven’t already, choose to RECEIVE and truly LIVE–to GIVE–the True Meaning of Christmas!

Merry Christmas

Faith’s Gift

Sep7

The first time we met, he was in an alley, and very drunk. He yelled at me to go home. “Go home” he said, “We don’t want you here!” and I replied, “I’m sorry you feel that way, but I’m staying.”

Rather than deter me, he worked his way into my heart.

I know one shouldn’t have favorites, but my list of favorites seems to keep growing every week and he is way up there at the top. Maybe because he had tried so hard to reject me–maybe because I could see beyond the wall of pain.

He’s one of our veterans . . .

living and trying to cope on the streets, along with many many others; vets and non-vets, men, women and children, stuck in that same relentless trap.

I had been reading an article about a group that was feeding the homeless in a park. They had started during Covid and were now going to continue, by moving to a local shelter for the winter. When they found out that if one doesn’t stay at the shelter, they can’t eat there, they continued serving at both–faithfully, all year long. The Lord weighed in, as I read the article, and spoke to me, “The people they serve are much like the prisoners you write for.” When I agreed, He continued. “Then why don’t you go help them.” It was more of a statement than a question and I didn’t hesitate.

“Ok!”

I sent them an email and they graciously opened their hearts to me, inviting me to ‘give it a try’ that week. I never looked back. It has been my favorite night of the week ever since, and a tremendous gift to serve such appreciative, wonderful guests!

So this ‘belligerent’ guy became my friend that I saw only once a week. When he isn’t drinking he is a sweet, gentle soul. It’s the vodka that made him mean, but it really wasn’t that was it? The vodka was his means of coping with a life out of control. A life that had become too hard to face without it. It was vodka that he reached for when his heart just couldn’t bear it anymore. I hear so many criticize the homeless, and give their mighty opinions of how they should be ‘handled’ or even not helped.

I wonder how those criticizers would fare if they tried even just one day in their bitter situation.

So, we got to talking a couple winters later, and I told him he was the first person I met when I had started. I related to him what he had said to me and I was smiling, not condemning. “I said that?!” he replied. “Oh, that d… vodka! I should never drink that stuff!” It wasn’t long after, that he seemed to be getting more fragile. He was very thin and having trouble walking–far too many years of hardship, out in the elements. I told him I was praying for him. He seemed a little embarrassed and befuddled at that. That season ended and I moved to serving in the park. He didn’t come the next winter which was a bitter, bitter cold one. I prayed that he be healed, warm, and safe. The next year, when he didn’t return, I asked everyone that knew him, if they had seen him; but only one responded vaguely positive; they thought they had heard he was still around. I missed him and tried not to worry, but continued to trust God–Who knows everything!

The Gift!

I think it’s been about a year and half now and this week I was given an incredible gift!

Running an errand on my way to work that day, took me down an alley I don’t usually travel. He was there! When he saw me, his face lit up! Maybe he was reflecting my own shining face, for I was so happy to see him–but no, his face revealed the countenance of a changed man.

We talked for a bit and he told me that he no longer drinks and he has been able to sleep. His face was now fleshed out, he looked rested and years younger. It was evident that his heart is no longer tormented. He went on to say he has been working, and is making plans to move back home in a few weeks, to where he grew up. If that wasn’t enough, he’d saved the biggest gift for last . . . the docs had worked him over and ran scans and tests, reporting that his liver is in excellent shape! He laughed and said he told them maybe they’d better run that again. We both know that after all that hard drinking, there is only one possible way for him to have an excellent liver–NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD!

Our huge smiles matched this time as he said, “I’d better get outta here.” His face shown as he spoke his parting words to me–

“Keep the Faith!”

There’s no other way to go!

My friend knows Jesus–everything’s gonna be alright!

All Glory Be to God!

“He will care for the needy and neglected when they cry to him for help. The humble and helpless will know his kindness, for with a father’s compassion he will save their souls. They will be rescued from tyranny and torture, for their lifeblood is precious in his eyes.” Psalm 72:12-14 TPT

“He responds to the prayer of the poor and broken and will not despise the cry of the homeless.” Psalm 102:17 TPT

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another, for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 RSV

His Abundant Provision

Nov3

For about a year now I have had a craving for Kentucky Fried Chicken.® It’s rather unusual, because I’m not one to eat fast food, but I must admit its been calling to me. After most of the year of shutting the thought down, I just decided to get past it and eat some; but the line was long, and the cars just weren’t moving. They must have run out of chicken, and I ran out of time–leaving without chicken!

This past Monday, I was getting ready to go to town to feed the homeless at our local shelter, when I initiated a conversation with the Lord. It is my habit to talk with Him, often, throughout the day so this was not unusual. I’ve been working really hard at paying off my car and house, but at the same time pouring everything I can into books to send to prisons and for the homeless. “Lord,” I said, “You know I want to pay off my house and car, but I just don’t know how I can stretch myself any more.” “So why don’t you believe Me for that?” He replied. You know, He never asks us a question that He doesn’t already know the answer to. He wasn’t asking to find out, but was asking so that I would find out! As I looked inside for the answer, He revealed something in my heart that had been blocking my faith.

I had a few errands to run on the way to the homeless shelter, and a phone call came in as well, so I had put it all out of my mind by the time I got there. There was a pickup truck near the entrance when I arrived and a guy got out of the truck and headed right to me as I was about to unlock the door. I wasn’t afraid, but I was concerned about how I would get in without him seeing the code. When he got near enough, he asked me, “Hey, do you work here?” “I do tonight.” “I just volunteer here on Monday nights.” I replied. “Great,” he said, “Can you use some Kentucky Fried Chicken®?”

“I have 40 dinners here, and I’ve already handed dinners out to everyone that wanted one, can you take them?”

So, what are the chances–

of a Kentucky Fried Chicken® representative showing up on my doorstep with 40 meals?

Not chance at all when God’s involved!

He was so happy I took the meals. Since the homeless got all they wanted at the shelter, I sent them to the park with Bill. He came to drop off the food we would be serving that night. Roast pork loin, fresh vegetables with teriyaki sauce, rice, fresh biscuits and dinner rolls, apple crisp; and tonight, Bill also brought 4 deep pans of fresh croissants, pastries, and giant cinnamon rolls. He had been on his way to bring the food, when he got a call from 9 Bean Rows. They are a local bakery and restaurant that makes the most wonderful bread, pastries and lunches. This place has been incredibly generous this past summer, offering us pastries to give out, quite often, when we served in the park.

I work with 5loaves2fish, and we serve every Monday year round, rain, snow or shine. They started out in the park, but when they heard that if the guests don’t sleep in the shelter, they can’t eat there, they continued all winter at both places. It was when they first started at the shelter that I joined them, which was two years ago. Some are just emotionally incapable of coping with a large group of people in close quarters and they stay in tents all winter. Here in the frozen north, that’s a real tough thing to do! When you are all snug and warm in your bed, think about those that don’t have a real bed. Don’t for a minute think they chose this lifestyle. It is a very hard life they live and my heart goes out to them.

We lavish them with lots of love and heaping plates of great food!

No canned green beans here! Everything is homemade, well, about 98% of it is. Occasionally we feed them hotdogs or brats at the park because they ask for them; and of course, ice cream with fresh strawberries or homemade caramel sauce. Otherwise, everything is made from scratch, even the pasta, and its really, really good! This night a man sought us out at the kitchen door and wouldn’t speak until he had all of our attention–then he just couldn’t speak. I watched him try, as tears welled up in his eyes. He gave the most heart-felt, expressive nod I have ever witnessed; and just turned and left, as the tears took over for him.

He was so overcome, and so were we.

I love these people so much!

So Bill told me to take two dinners home and he took the rest to the park. They too, were getting the same meal we were serving, only it was already plated up in to-go containers and bags. The chicken was an extra surprise for later.

It wasn’t until the next morning that I remembered my conversation with the Lord. I think He must have blocked me from remembering it or maybe it was just that I was too busy thinking about others and serving them, that it never came to mind. When I opened my eyes, before I even had time to think a thought, He said. “I provide in abundance don’t I?” Instantly with that comment, He brought to mind our conversation, the chicken, and 9 Bean Rows; all in a split second, as only He can do!

“So, why don’t you believe for that?” He continued.

Yes, I think I should!

With that I opened my Bible to read–just dropped it open randomly. Have you guessed it already? Yep, where else would He send me but right to John 6, and the story of the 5 loaves and 2 fish!

So, what are the chances of that?

It’s not chance at all when God is involved, is it?

“Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a multitude was coming to him, Jesus said to Philip, “How are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” This he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are they among so many?” Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place; so the men sat down, in number about five thousand. Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten.” John 6:5-13