I was recently asked by a sweet older woman in my church to help her do something about the homeless people in our community. She asked me, “How do we get them to stop drinking and smoking? How do we stop homelessness?” I just emailed her back and thought that since most of us have also struggled…
(Source: jamestheverb)
I am sitting in a local coffee shop, keeping to myself, studying an article concerning misconceptions of the Gospels. Good read.
Not too long ago, An elderly man walked into the shoppe and sat himself on the couch adjacent to the sofa chair I occupied about thirty minutes prior. I didn’t pay too much mind to him, and went on highlighting a portion of the article. For another half hour to forty minutes, I observed this man who had been falling in and out of slumber, right there in the coffee shoppe. These couches are super cozy, guys. I certainly don’t blame him.
Anyway- The last time I looked up from my article, we made eye contact and began to chat. He had been waiting on the establishment’s computer, currently (and still, thirty minutes later) occupied by a customer. He asked what I was studying so I showed him the article, and explained what it was about.
His name is Rodger Wilson. He had to have been in his late seventies, and he says “it is [his] lifelong passion to lead others to Jesus.” He said to me, “I think the misconception is, many churches preach that we have to do all this work to PLEASE God. But God’s already done the work! We just have to follow Jesus. Live like Him.”
He unfortunately had to get out of here in a hurry, but as he left, he shook my hand and said he hopes he sees me again. I hope to see him too, and I’m almost sure I will.
For my revelation and inspiration today, I am so thankful for Mr. Rodger Wilson. God surely brought him to this coffee shop for a divine reason.
It is so wonderful that I can sit here with an ordinary man and have such an extraordinary experience. Expanding on that, I am lead to the Apostles. All ordinary men, doing extraordinary things in the name of God. Rodger Wilson is an ordinary man, in a coffee shop, who happened to do something extraordinary in my life today, in the name of God. Much like the Apostles.
As a Christian, I have found it is so important to discuss things like this with our fellow Christians. Now, this is all new to me, but I think one of the most beautiful things about life, Christian or not, is community. I meet someone every day through my faith in Jesus Christ. Today, it was Rodger Wilson, whose PASSION is Jesus.
Yesterday, I met a man named Michael who had traveled here from Detroit and now lives on the streets, getting around on his bike. I don’t think many see the extraordinary quality in this ordinary man.
I shared some macaroni salad with him as he told me, “I’m not homeless, per say. What I mean is, just because I don’t have a house, doesn’t mean I don’t have a home.” His bathtub is the river. His carpet is the grass and his roof, the heavens. His home is anywhere, simply because he is with God everywhere.
He asked what I was doing in the park with my friend and was tickled that two teenage girls would “rather have a spontaneous picnic in an old park, than go to the mall or something.” Haha. I told him it felt like a good time for a picnic, and He pointed out his empty wrist where his watch used to be. He told me to always remember that time really is of the essence. “Live for the moment, and never ever take it for granted.” he told me, as he looked right into my eyes, and I could see how passionate he was about it. He was wise. It surely was a beautiful experience.
That’s the word. Beautiful. These two experiences, one after the other, are exactly what I love about being a part of this community. Scripture is largely about ordinary men doing extraordinary things. That’s much like what I’ve experienced the past two days. Two days, two ordinary men, two extraordinary experiences.
What had God has been showing me lately? Extraordinary things don’t necessarily require extraordinary people to implement them.
I’m extremely ordinary. 17, senior in high school, average grades, average sized group of friends, average looks… I’m pretty darn average. Hahaha. But That certainly does not go to say that I can’t accomplish above average things. I can, as can the business man sitting across from me and the battered bunch of folks chatting behind me. We’re all for the most part ordinary people. We just have to be ready and completely willing to do extraordinary things in the name of Jesus Christ, for the Kingdom of God, and We will.
After school I went to go sit up in this tree that I love climbing and reading in. Today, on my walk to this tree, I noticed a man siting on a bench. He looked up just as I glanced over to him. I casually asked, “how ya doin?” like normal people do while passing someone they dont know on a walk. I then slowly kept strolling by. Except it was different this time… This man’s face went from an existential indifference to what seemed to be both shocked and overwhelmingly joyful. He grinned from ear to ear as he said after me, “God bless you!” He cried this out as if somebody acknowledging him was the best thing that had happened all day. He told me he just got here from Titusville, which is about a forty-five minute drive from my town. He came on bike. I learned he had a tree-cutting business there, affordable with free estimates… but it fell through. His lost his own business. His girlfriend then left him. He soon lost his home. But what he said next was inspiration at its finest. With his Bible opened to Philippians, he said to me that he gets through, day by day, simply by staying in the Word. Beautiful.
The thing is, I wasn’t coming down here looking for anything like that to happen. I certainly wasn’t trying to do anything for anyone, or even talk to anybody. In fact, I was in the process of going into avoid-human-contact-and-read-in-a-tree mode. Haha. I can’t tell you now that I’d like it any other way than how it turned out. at all.
Now I’m up in the tree reflecting upon this beautiful experience with a perfect stranger, and what I’ve come to is this: It’s things like that which completely open my heart up and allow me to feel God moving and holding my hand as I step out of my comfort zone and into the person He wants me to be. I love how uncomfortable faith can be. And I love the way God is moving and working in my life right now.
This man’s faith is enough to keep him going. That’s all he needs. Philippians. Who are we to think we have it all figured out compared to a man or a woman living on the streets? We continuously try to shove God down their throats, handing out “Pocket New Testaments” to them instead of what they really need, and I guarantee you most of these people know God at a much more intimate level than we who “have it all together” know is even possible. God is their source of comfort and life. Not only has God pursued them, but they’ve heard His call and responded in this deep walk they have with Him. I sit in my house, on my safe, cozy couch, counting on food to fill my loneliness and escaping into movies and books to steal me from this imperfect world. All this man needed was God’s Word. All this man needed to get through a day without a home or food, or maybe even to bandage his own mindset, was Philippians. His faith is so pure. It is ever-present in his life. He has it right. We can definitely learn a thing or two from those who many of us deem less than us.
The bible tells us, so so importantly, that the First will be last and the Last will be first in the kingdom of God. I have understood the meaning of that before, but it wasn’t until today that I fully grasped it. Through a brief conversation with a beautiful, homeless, Brother of mine in God.
I think that everyone, at multiple times in one’s life, needs to practice and fully embrace the discipline of individual passion. This means learning what makes you come alive apart from anyone else. Taking quiet walks and long drives and letting your mind roam to the things you find beautiful….
“Keep your face always toward the sunshine and the shadows will fall behind you.”
(via twloha)
aka, my most recent journal entry…
To be a hero, he must be present not upon convenience, but simply when he is needed most. He is generous with what time and his piece-of-self he lends, not taking circumstance into consideration or unforgiving time constraints, but also knowing where to stop in order to be full himself. He is brave beyond measure. With courage in his heart, he shines upon the world with dauntless splendor, especially when all splendor seems dark and daunted. His heart possesses the deepest desire, a fiery, passionate yearning, to lend himself to the greater good of others. He is keeper of his own Ego, knowing always that he is equal to even the poorest of the poor in the eyes of the Lord.
To be my hero, he will grace me and honor me with his tender, loving touch. He will respect my boundaries, while pressing them enough to expand them; to stretch me as a person. Not only will he raise me up when things get tough, but he’ll lift me up even higher on the best of days. Home will be in his arms, and his home in mine. His sweet embrace, tightly bound yet gentle as the touch of an angel, will bear warmth and comfort, in which I will find the missing pieces of the ever unsolved puzzles, with which life challenges me.
In his heroism, he will recognize that my value and purpose do not come from him, but come exclusively from my God, the true Hero, who not only died on the cross for us but so lovingly brought us together. Above all, just as he will be my hero, I will be his ezer kenegdo, saving him from his doubts and weaknesses. We will complete each other and glorify our sweet, loving Father God, who generously coreographed our stories to intertwine, dancing into a beautiful flourish. My hero will one day waltz along, and until then I will not settle for any less.
We Are Lionhart.
Who are we?
We are warriors of worth, no longer waiting for our value to appear, or wallowing in an unreal emptiness. We are no longer filling up temporarily on sex and skin and makeup and clothes. We are aware of the fatality that accompanies living in our pasts. And we know that we cannot be made whole by the things that break us.
We are free.
And we are full.
We are overflowing with joy in knowing who we are, and brimming with peace that there is a plan specifically in place for every one of us. That plan includes acute awareness of the beauty we possess, both inside and out, and cultivating the bravery and gentleness necessary to show others the value that already exists within them.
Why the name?
The word “lionheart” describes someone who is brave, fearless. We believe it takes courage to find and know your true worth, especially after people or experiences have taught you that you possess none. Furthermore, it requires a lionheart to show others their value, thus spreading the courage.
We’ve taken the name a step further by changing the spelling of “heart” to “hart”—another name for a deer. The deer represents grace and gentleness, which we believe are traits of a woman who is confident in her worth and what she has to offer the world. When bravery and fearlessness, grace and gentleness combine, it’s an unstoppable combination for overflowing in love.
What do we do?
Visit the website and take a look around. Learn more about our purpose, the people we love, events we host, and how you can be involved. Above all, we want to see you recognize and own your inherent worth, and show other women in your life how valuable they are as well. We are not meant to go through this life alone, and we all have a role to play.
Be brave, be gentle. Know your worth and speak the truth.
—Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (via shannonicole)
We are all human. We make mistakes, we say or do things that others may not deem appropriate or acceptable and we generally all come across cases of human error in our own lives. So why are we so quick to judge others? If we walked but three steps in the shoes of someone facing addiction, would we still be so quick to declare him or her worthless? If we were to embark through our city with the bare feet of a homeless person, would we still be so quick to form negative assumptions of his or her character?
I come across this particular circumstance daily. I was with someone, let’s call her Jane, at the grocery store, and a young woman with an infant in one arm and a young child holding her other hand, crossed the street in front of us. She could not have been older than twenty-three, and she was accompanying a child of at least five years old plus an infant. Jane made the comment that she was not a suitable mother and is way too young to be taking care of these kids. Now, I agree that maybe she wasn’t doing the best job in the world, crossing, with her children, in front of our moving vehicle, but what do we know of her? All we know is that she looks young, has two kids with her, and made a poor choice to cross at that time. Does she have parents who showed daily affection for her like I do? Did she grow up in a good neighborhood and become acquainted with good people? Who’s to say she isn’t the girl they show us in the informational videos in school, who posted her information online and was abducted by “SportsDude15”? Jane was so quick to jump to conclusions about this young woman, without understanding where she came from or her current situation. I said to Jane, “That was a very quick response. Did you think through her possible circumstances?” She had not.
I come from an average home, with an average income, in an average town. I’m nothing special, nor am I underprivileged. Now, here I go. I admit that I have misjudged too many people to count. I recently realized that the way I was living my life was no better than those people, where it truly matters. It isn’t our responsibility to place judgment on others. It is, though, our responsibility to live our own lives with arms wide open to help others. We are all brothers and sisters, and I believe it is time we begin to act in that sense. Go have a conversation with a homeless person who probably has an amazing story and just wants someone to hear it. Go offer help to the young woman juggling two kids and maybe three jobs to support them.
The point I am trying to make is that we need to judge less and love more. It is so easy for us to look at someone and see the bad and wrong in them, but that’s the very last thing we should do, and most definitely not what we are called here to do. We need to remember that we are all children of God, and each one of us is created in His image. We need to remember that if we look down on our brothers and sisters, we are also in a way looking down on God, our Father. Next time you find yourself ready to pass judgment upon someone, stop and pray for them instead. Brothers and Sisters, let’s put an end to the judgment we pass in our lives and welcome love in its place. Let’s take time to think about what mountain someone may be struggling to climb before we decide to write him or her off as inadequate. Let’s take time to get to know our neighbors. Let’s take time to love our Neighbors.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:30,31
(Source: jamestheverb)
