Focusing On the Hope

The other night at bible study we discussed HOPE and hope means a lot of things to a lot of people but this is what it means to me. I have a tendency  to focus on all the bad about people rather than the good. I somehow seem to manage to put a magnifying glass on the one negative thing instead of all the positive.

My oldest daughter and my only son are each dealing with one thing in particular in their life that bothers me A LOT and it has definitely taken a toll on my relationship with them. Than  when I was really struggling with it God told me not to focus on my concern but to focus on the hope. The hope that HE knows exactly how to get them where they need to be, the hope that HE has for their future. The trust and expectation that something good will prevail.

That is how I see people who are homeless, needy and poor. So many people look at the homeless and never look beyond the surface. All they see is hopelessness and their version of  homelessness  which is typically just another stereotype. 

When we look at people through Gods eyes we see them finished , and  with the  love and kindness of Jesus through us we can BE hope for someone. Hope is Gods version of potential and now I choose to  see hope in everyone. I believe that everyone is entitled to hope. The definition of hope is a feeling of expectation and a desire for a certain thing to happen. It can also mean grounds for believing something good may happen. It is the possibilty of everything.

The opposite of hope is despair and the homeless feel that everyday and they desire hope. They have the right to hope for employment , for basic needs , and the right to hope for a home. Spread the love and bring the hope because hate and despair are winning and WE have the power to change that by choosing to love and give.

Hope died on a tree so that we would have hope for a future to spend eternity with the one who gave His life for love. Bring love to the unloved and hope to the hopeless because it changes everything and what do you say to despair when it comes to conquer? Checkmate!

So the poor have HOPE, and injustice shuts her mouth. - Job 5:16

Talkers and Walkers

"Practice what you preach!"We hear that phrase so much its become quite an annoying cliche.

Recently my friend Shay Kelly posted a blog(http://www.project-5050.com/main/?p=819)  about an experience she and her husband Shane had volunteering.It really got my blood boiling after it broke my heart. If you are a volunteer I highly suggest you read it. Since we have started having breakfast with our community on Saturdays the one common expression people say to  me is how they have such a heart for this. There are many reasons people volunteer. Some because it makes them feel that in some small way there doing their part or at least doing something. Others may volunteer because it makes them feel warm and fuzzy inside . Maybe some feel "called to this" as I have often heard. The right reason to do it is because God said so (Isaiah 58) and because it is just RIGHT to do it. It is equally if not more important to do it with the right heart and right attitude. God loves a cheerful giver. It saddens me to know there are so called "men of God " who  believe they get to decide who they will serve and to what degree or that they are any different from anyone else. Now before you start blowing up on me let me just say I am not concluding that all men of the cloth have demonstrated this mentality,quite the opposite. I have met and seen the true heartfelt labor of men and woman who truly desire to please God and treat all people as equal and do it with grace,dignity an humility. BUT there are talkers and there are walkers and I'm not just referring to pastors and church leaders. There are those who preach and teach but do not walk in the very truth that they spew on Sunday morning. Which is probably why your church has no fruit, no anointing and the absence of the Holy Spirit. There are Christians that are  saying  "feed the homeless" and what there thinking is "not in my backyard".
Honestly I don't get the hang up . You are suppose to be taking care of the people that live much like the Savior you serve did. Have you forgotten that Jesus was HOMELESS!!!!
Luke 9:58 Jesus replied"Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."
How could you invite the non profit workers into your home as guests while ignoring and cringing at the thought of inviting the very people they came to serve?
The pharisees did the same thing to Jesus . They wanted to be in His company without being with the company He kept.
.Mark 2:16-17 (message version)¹⁶Later Jesus and his disciples were at home having supper with a collection of disreputable guests. Unlikely as it seems, more than a few of them had become followers. The religion scholars and Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company and lit into his disciples: "What kind of example is this, acting cozy with the riffraff?"

⁷Jesus, overhearing, shot back, "Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I'm here inviting the sin-sick, not the spiritually-fit."

How would you like it if you had no place to live ,no money ,no job, no food and had to bathe in gas stations and do your laundry in a sink and on top of that suffer the indignity of having to show up to a food line at a church where its supposed to be full of love and be treated like they owe you something for doing what it is your supposed to be doing in the first place. Just wanting to sit down and get what they came for without feeling worse than they already did. Where is the love man? How can you not love the very people Jesus loved and lived for .If your going to talk the talk than walk the dam walk. I am not a preacher or a pastor and I'm no master of theology. I am just a 41 year old house wife that has a big mouth , cusses like a sailor and falls short daily but I am honest about who I am, totally in love with Jesus and I am sincere about my love for the people in my community.If your going to preach Jesus to people ,you also have to BE Jesus to people.

The Battle for Breakfast

OK so many of you know I have had a desire for a long time to have breakfast for the homeless in my community.  Many of the people involved in making this happen also have a desire  and a heart for hurting and needy people and wanted to see this vision realized. 
However there is an enemy who roams the earth seeking whom he may devour and in the last two weeks he has set his eyes on me.
Basically since this vision has come to pass , in the first week my husband was not able to find work,we were barely able to keep gas in our truck to bring our kids back and forth to school and my son to work. We had some food from the week before but no money to get our weekly groceries. Our phones also got cut off which is the only means in which my husband can find work  is if he can be contacted. Not to mention on a personal note we were at each others throats ,our relationship was under attack and we were just beat up a bit emotionally.
However we pressed in and with the prayers and encouragement of those closest to us we just kept believing God to provide and He did. Our friends brought us groceries and my husband got little jobs here and there to put enough gas to last  a little while but he still used his truck to serve others whenever it was needed.
The first breakfast was a success  we  were truly blessed and now it had been decided that it would be every Saturday which would take us into hell week number 2.
By Tuesday of last week we were 2 months behind on our rent. My Landlord called my husband that morning and said if we didn't have last months by Easter we could pack up and go. I  came home around 2:00pm to find that both my lights and water had been cut off. What made it worse was my daughter had LEAP testing all week and I couldn't imagine her having to go to school the next morning and concentrate after a night of no lights and no a/c. I didn't panic but I was upset not with God because I knew what was going on and even though I knew God was going to show up it just hurt.
 I sat at my desk and just began to praise God and thank Him for using me to serve these people and love them. I worshipped Him and reminded Him of promises that He made me. Three hours later A very good friend of my husband put up the money to put our lights back on . I went to my woman's bible study that night with an agenda.
The whole time we prayed continuously and I expected God to move and He did.
My friend Mandy prayed that by Thursday my rent would be paid but my God is bigger than that. Before I even got home from bible study she called to tell me that my rent had been paid. The next day when she brought me the money she said that the donors wanted to remain anonymous but heard about the breakfast and what we were doing and  wanted to help and had money to do so but when they heard we had  been struggling they wanted to help us and said that if we needed next months rent they would pay that as well.
C'MON SOMEBODY God is good!!My sons tux for his prom was prayed and paid for and I was commissioned to do a painting that helped with gas , some food and prom money.
I wanted to be transparent with you because I need you to know that God is faithful to show up always. When we align our hearts with His how can He NOT show up. All of the food for the second breakfast we did this morning was donated with plenty left over. How? Fishes and loaves baby fishes and loaves. 
Bottom line is the devil doesn't think its cute that I'm feeding hungry people and he's going to try  to destroy me BUT ........
I AM PRESSED BUT NOT CRUSHED PERSECUTED, BUT NOT ABANDONED STRUCK DOWN, BUT NOT DESTROYED I AM BLESSED BEYOND THE CURSE, FOR HIS PROMISE WILL ENDURE AND HIS JOY WILL BE MY STRENGTH.
You now why? Because God is BIGGER than the boogieman!

Breakfast for Champions

This morning I got up @5:30 (NOT an  a.m. person) for the first time in my life with joy.

Today was the beginning of something necessary, needed and supernatural. I am part of a foundation called servnLOVE( www.servnlove.com)who made it possible for our woman's bible study group AKA 

The Sisterhood, To have a breakfast for the homeless in my community. In short it was a great success. We made a list of things we did right and things we can do better but all in all I was very happy with the outcome.

I stayed in the kitchen early on and than came out to have breakfast with some of the guys and talk with them a little bit. I have to say we were all very humbled. Let me just cut to the chase and tell you that when people started coming in I just couldn't look at them because my heart was SO full  I just wanted to hug and hold everybody. The compassion God gave me for His children was completely overwhelming.

What we didn't do: We did not pray,we did not preach,we did not pry and we did not say the name of Jesus one time.

What we did do: We served,we loved,we fellowshipped, we cared.

We were a bit surprised at how many of them expected preaching and praying. A few of the guys sat down with their plates and waited than finally said "Is somebody gonna say something". That made me kind of sad that they were used to that as if to them having to listen to preaching and praying was kind of how they earned there free food. A few kept thanking us just for taking the time to sit and talk with them.

They asked if we were going to do it again next Saturday and all I could say was God willing and how could God NOT be willing.

The woman that founded servnLOVE Mrs. Jo, was there and was impressed how everything went and said it was a good experience.So imagine thinking we were only going to get to do it once a month when she told us "Lets just decide to do it once a week" which I am praying leads eventually to everyday but you know...baby steps. We found out there is money put aside for food monthly, we also knew there were some other churches willing to commit to monthly food donations and also a local business who also provided the food for this mornings breakfast.

The bottom line is that if you just show up, so will God. No one can out give God. Anybody willing to give of their time can feed hungry people and meet the needs of needy people.We were a very small group of people that were just willing to show up.

We desired to love these human beings. They weren't clients, they weren't transients or homeless, not today. Today they were family.

They may not but have heard about Jesus today , but the bigger picture is that they SAW Him!

Luke 14:12-14  Then He also said to him who invited Him, “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. 14 And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

The Poor are Truly Rich

Question: Why is it my responsibility to help the homeless

Answer  : ‘If one of your brethren becomes poor, and falls into poverty among you, then you shall help him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you.

Lev25:35

I have never struggled with loving the poor,the hurting,the afflicted and addicted.

I have however struggled with people who do . To truly love the way Jesus loves, requires us to allow Him to love through us. 

I can't ask God to let me love like Jesus and then pick and choose who I am going to love. Its easy to love people who are the same as you,that do what you do and like what you like.To love like Jesus you have to love deep ,looking past the surface and see people finished.

I love poor people. I love homeless people and so does God. 

I love that the poor are always the first ones to give and there the most generous and that doesn't surprise me.

The poor and needy appreciate the little things, they don't waste and they don't take things for granted like a clean pair of socks.

Right now we are living in a world full of uncertainty. In a time when we don't know what disaster will come next or what tragedy will befall us. We are living in trying times even as I write this I don't know whether my Government will or won't shut down tomorrow.

But I can't help but think that the poor are going to come out on top. The wealthy and other unsuspecting people could loose there income and may very well be facing some of the same hardships as the poor and many will undoubtedly be homeless and lets face it the poor and needy are better prepared.

 They won't sweat it, they won't panic, they already know how to survive. Poor people come by faith so much easier. After everything they have been through they have such a need and desire for hope. Jesus is that hope and the way they get to SEE Jesus is through those of us who choose to love like Him.

I see Jesus in people everyday. I see Jesus in my circle of sisters who love each other and meet one an others needs on a daily basis.

I see Jesus in Shane and Shay of project 50/50 who are not only poor ON purpose but poor WITH a purpose.

"There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing; And one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches." - Proverbs 13:7

Love when its not easy, love when it costs, love when it hurts. That's where the Jesus love is.

Bottom line: The rich and the poor have this in common,The LORD is the maker of them all. - Proverbs 22:2