1. 01 July 2010 · 11:07 PM · 1 note

    It felt like home again.

    Last Wednesday I served with the Fusion ministry here at First Baptist at a local Methodist church where the community gets together on Wednesday night and provides a meal for the homeless.

    We got together about 3oclock and started preparing the meal. We would end up serving around 50 people that night. We met at the church kitchen about 3 and started cooking. We sliced A TON of watermelon, we made some gravy, we cooked some corn and we baked about 80 pork chops. It was a good time. You can’t beat the conversations one has in a kitchen. All topics are free game and we debated everything from why Payton Manning can’t win a super bowl, to how much better the ACC is than the SEC, and how none us understand why there is an offsides rule in Soccer.

    We got to the church around 5 and over the hour people started pouring in. I mingled around and met a lot of neat people. I talked most of the time with a group at the corner table. We had some great conversations. We talked, laughed, joked around, called AJ out when he farted and blamed it on Paul, haha, you know the normal stuff you do with homeless guys on a Wednesday night.

    As we talked I began to realize how much I missed surrounding myself with people of struggle. I began to realize how God seems to reserve so many secrets for those on the margin. I love being in the company of my savior. As we talked I began to come alive again. My vision became more clear and my hard heart seemed to soften up. I heard stories of people in a struggle. I saw people acting like a family who looked nothing like each other. I saw the kingdom of God, “on earth as it is in heaven.”

    As I listened and loved I felt my heart began to soften and my mind began to open. I had a long talk with a man named AJ, who had once been a very successful entrepreneur. He had, until last year, owned a restaurant on the North Shore of Chattanooga. He had been very successful and had a very good business up until about 3 years ago. Franchises started to move in and his location was to far away from the new, up and coming arts district to turn a decent profit. He told me, “I couldn’t compete with 5 dollar foot longs. I should have listened to my buddy in Real Estate when he told me to move across the highway.” AJ has been homeless now for about 1 year. “I know the Good Lord will take care of me. He always has, and He always will.” Wow. I love entrepreneurs. AJ even expressed interest of riding his bike down to the Gulf Coast and helping out with the Oil Spill. “Wherever there is work, I’ll find it. I know I’ll come back around. It is just a matter of time.” I hope all of you read that! That is inspiring!

    When we were eating I looked around and noticed everyone plate was squeaky clean. No food was being wasted. Everyone was offered seconds because we had some left overs. Some took it and some choose to remain filled on one plate. I saw a homeless guy call someone out for taking to much food on their 1st serving! Gandhi’s words rang so clear in my head, “There is enough for every one’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed.” God rained down maman from Heaven and promised there would be enough. I could see the kingdom of God, alive again.

    Another thing that I noticed was a brother named Danny. He was a skinny lad and he had diabetes. Danny also went up to get seconds. When he returned with his plate, I ask jokingly teased him about how much he could eat. He replied with a smile, “oh no, this is not for me. This is for Big Mike. Is too far of a walk on him to come up for the food, so I bring him a plate.” He explained to that Big Mike was toting about 300lbs and said he was pretty sick as well. My first thought was to write Big Mike off. “That guy is lazy. No wonder he weighs 300lbs and homeless. He wont even get up to bring his fat ass to dinner. What a lazy, worthless piece of crap.” Then I caught myself and realized I was seeing the Kingdom of God right before me, if only I would have “eyes to see”

    My mind opened and I realized what I was seeing. I was seeing a Christian. I was seeing a brother. I was seeing someone in my family who actually cared for his neighbor. Danny was not giving Big Mike a handout. It was not socialism, or a communism or any kind of ism. IT WAS A FAMILY TAKING CARE OF FAMILY!!! That brought tears to my eyes. That’s LOVE. That’s GRACE. That is the BEATIDUDES. That is MERCY. THAT IS THE CHURCH. Wow, how I’ve have longed to be back in this moment. This is the reason I came down here. This is God. This is Jesus. This is the Kingdom.

    I would like to thank all my homeless brothers and sisters of Chattanooga. You have shown me life. You have opened my eyes. You have been the church. You have been my teachers. You have taught me more about the gospel than any systematic theology ever could.

    Thank you,

    Colby

    1. tnsummer2010 posted this