and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
"The Lord has done great things for them."
The Lord has done great things for us;
we are glad.
Those who sow in tears
shall reap with shouts of joy!
He who goes out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him.
Some days, weeks, months, we are fools. We choose to invest time and resources and ourselves in the lives of people when it doesn't look like a wise prospect. We've been lied to and sometimes despised for not believing the lie. Our possessions have been taken from us, our hopes have been mocked, our trust betrayed, and our patience tried. At every point of disintegration, when one of us is worn and bruised, another steps in, takes the baton and keeps running headlong through the gauntlet. Our communal tombstone will read "They tried." What in God's name are we doing?
Steve has been homeless for six years. As of Wednesday he has a roof over his head that he can call his own.
The Good Samaritan Inn has life growing in the soil around it and a team committed to their folly of sheltering the poor.
Eighteen people shared a meal and finished a year spent simmering in the Gospel of John. We had ideas about bible study, discipleship, theology and sound doctrine. We had no idea how far deeper than these the Gospel itself would take us.
Our friends who haven't spoken since they struck and slashed at each other in anger are asking for reconciliation.
A hurting man who had thrown our good intentions in our face came by the house, looking golden, clean, sober, beautiful. He wanted to ask for our forgiveness, but he couldn't finish his sentence before it was his. He is a new man.
Despite the odds, the individual histories and our own efforts, amazing things are happening and it surprises us into gratitude.
ALSO
ReplyDeleteI met with the people at metropolitan ministries this week about my application to receive food from them for a weekly dinner night at the good sam. Leeann joined me and it went great. It looks like everything is going to work out and we should have our meal site up and running in the next few weeks.
Last night was our monthly conscious party and it was another huge success. Great turn out. Great open mic. David went to the good sam to see if anyone there wanted to come. He was only able to get on guy that was just waking up from a nap in the main lobby. He came and had a great time. I really connected with him well and sense the hand of God knitting us together for this partnership and ministry that is springing up at the good. He came to church this morning and seems ready to jump headfirst into ministry with us. He is recently sober and determined to turn his life around. He is a christian man and incredibly wise. We spent the day together today and I am really excited to have made a friend like him at the very place I feel God calling us to invest in. He feels like God introduced us to give him something real to occupy himself with as he battles his addiction and begins this new life for himself.
God thank you so much for calling me to this life. There is no greater joy than having a seat this close to all that you do in the lives of people. Your alone are worthy of all praise and honor and glory!