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Friday, August 26, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
What is funny about that?
I was on facebook the other day and I came across a friends status. It was a status about what he had seen. He saw an old woman steal an umbrella out of the trunk of a car that had been in an accident and was abandoned on the side of the road. The post said that she tried the doors but they were all locked, all she got was the umbrella.
Out of the 11 comments on this status only 2 were not about how funny it was that she was stealing the umbrella out of a wrecked car. The very first comment was "how sad" and my comment was about how it was sad...the other 9 made it a joke.
What is funny about that picture? How is it a joke that anyone, especially an old lady, feels she has no option but to steal something from a wrecked car?
It could easily be you, your mother, your sister, your friend that is in the place in their life where they have to turn into a scavenger. No one "wants" to be put in that situation, but how many paychecks are you away from living on the street? What if your company closed up shop tomorrow? What would you do? Would you still be the one laughing?
You can't fix all the problems in the world. You can't solve world hunger or fix the unemployment problem in America. The thing that bothers me is that you don't want to.
Out of the 11 comments on this status only 2 were not about how funny it was that she was stealing the umbrella out of a wrecked car. The very first comment was "how sad" and my comment was about how it was sad...the other 9 made it a joke.
What is funny about that picture? How is it a joke that anyone, especially an old lady, feels she has no option but to steal something from a wrecked car?
It could easily be you, your mother, your sister, your friend that is in the place in their life where they have to turn into a scavenger. No one "wants" to be put in that situation, but how many paychecks are you away from living on the street? What if your company closed up shop tomorrow? What would you do? Would you still be the one laughing?
You can't fix all the problems in the world. You can't solve world hunger or fix the unemployment problem in America. The thing that bothers me is that you don't want to.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
First impressions...
Today I found out that two different adults think I'm quiet and two youth think I'm stuck up! Apparently I didn't talk to any of them enough. I have never thought of myself as quiet or reserved and if you ask most people who know me they would agree with me (not these 4 individuals.)
I was a little bit concerned that two of the youth think I'm stuck up, but really it got me thinking. What do people think when they first meet me? I am going to have to start paying closer attention to how I interact with people that I don't really know.
That got me thinking about how we see ourselves vs. how other people see us. We know why we do and say all the things we do and say. Other people don't have the luxury of knowing what is going on behind the scenes. That is why things like online dating services and even a facebook profile can be a false picture of who we really are on the inside. When my friends fill out surveys having to do with personalities I normally don't agree with the results. Why? They are not being honest about who they really are, they are answering the questions with what they want to be like.
If you really want to know who you are or what kind of personality you have then you need to give your close friends a blind survey! Either that or get some honest friends...but even then, your friends may not be the best judge of how you really act. They will be biased and judge you based on what they know of you.
So what can we do? Everyone sees you through their own tinted glasses. How can we be sure we are acting like we want to act and being the person we want to be? Look at the results. Look at the people who are close to you. What kind of people are they? Who do you draw to you, what people follow you? That will tell you if you are the kind of person that you thought you were.
Also be open to honest feedback. I'm going to go out of my way to make sure people don't think I'm stuck up. I'm probably not going to be too much more vocal around the two people who thought I was quiet because they know me from work. I'm quieter at work, I can deal with that.
This was just a thought. Pay attention to how you treat others. Especially if they don't know you very well. We have more power with our words and actions than you might think.
I was a little bit concerned that two of the youth think I'm stuck up, but really it got me thinking. What do people think when they first meet me? I am going to have to start paying closer attention to how I interact with people that I don't really know.
That got me thinking about how we see ourselves vs. how other people see us. We know why we do and say all the things we do and say. Other people don't have the luxury of knowing what is going on behind the scenes. That is why things like online dating services and even a facebook profile can be a false picture of who we really are on the inside. When my friends fill out surveys having to do with personalities I normally don't agree with the results. Why? They are not being honest about who they really are, they are answering the questions with what they want to be like.
If you really want to know who you are or what kind of personality you have then you need to give your close friends a blind survey! Either that or get some honest friends...but even then, your friends may not be the best judge of how you really act. They will be biased and judge you based on what they know of you.
So what can we do? Everyone sees you through their own tinted glasses. How can we be sure we are acting like we want to act and being the person we want to be? Look at the results. Look at the people who are close to you. What kind of people are they? Who do you draw to you, what people follow you? That will tell you if you are the kind of person that you thought you were.
Also be open to honest feedback. I'm going to go out of my way to make sure people don't think I'm stuck up. I'm probably not going to be too much more vocal around the two people who thought I was quiet because they know me from work. I'm quieter at work, I can deal with that.
This was just a thought. Pay attention to how you treat others. Especially if they don't know you very well. We have more power with our words and actions than you might think.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Summer Breeze...
So today I came up with a new drink for our coffee shop. It will only be available during the Spring and Summer...or at least that is the idea. It got me thinking about the change in the season that is coming.
I have lived through two Summers in AR so far. I have only been to the lake once...and that was to go on a dinner cruise. One Summer here it was "too rainy" to go have fun at the lake. Last Summer was "too hot" to even get outside. It got me thinking what are we waiting for?
Sometimes it seems we spend our lives waiting for the perfect weather, perfect job, perfect vacation...etc. We don't live in the now, we are always waiting for that something that will be better than what we are going through. I do my best not to live this way, but we all fall into it from time to time.
I was reading a post on facebook not too long ago. It asked the question, "If you only had two weeks to live, what would you do?" I thought about that for a while...and in that moment I decided that I probably wouldn't do anything different, I would probably just do what I do with more intensity.
Unlike a lot of people that I know, I love my job. My whole life is about helping people. Now there are those who would say that if I really only had two weeks to live I should spend it with my family or go on some crazy vacation. Now I love my family, if you know me then you know that is true. I miss them (my brother Chris is the only one who lives here...so I see him every day) more than anything or anyone else. I would love to spend two weeks with my family! The thing about it is this: my family knows that I love them. They know that I care and they also know why I don't live in WA with them.
The people that don't know me are the ones that need to know that I love them. I care about people...all people. If I only had two weeks to live I would probably spend them on the streets of Little Rock. I would find Aaron Reddin and The Van, buy lots of caffeine and spend my last 14 days showing people that I care. The people who are downtown don't have a lot of people that actually get to know them. Most people drive by, roll up their windows or look away when they pass the homeless on the street. Aaron would give the shirt off his back to anyone who asked.
That is how I would spend my last two weeks alive. What about you? When you hear "Summer Breeze" do you think about sitting on the beach or passing out some cold water to people under the bridge. When it is too hot for you to even go lay out by the pool, there are people trying to find a spot in a doorway to get out of the sun.
That is what I thought about today.
I have lived through two Summers in AR so far. I have only been to the lake once...and that was to go on a dinner cruise. One Summer here it was "too rainy" to go have fun at the lake. Last Summer was "too hot" to even get outside. It got me thinking what are we waiting for?
Sometimes it seems we spend our lives waiting for the perfect weather, perfect job, perfect vacation...etc. We don't live in the now, we are always waiting for that something that will be better than what we are going through. I do my best not to live this way, but we all fall into it from time to time.
I was reading a post on facebook not too long ago. It asked the question, "If you only had two weeks to live, what would you do?" I thought about that for a while...and in that moment I decided that I probably wouldn't do anything different, I would probably just do what I do with more intensity.
Unlike a lot of people that I know, I love my job. My whole life is about helping people. Now there are those who would say that if I really only had two weeks to live I should spend it with my family or go on some crazy vacation. Now I love my family, if you know me then you know that is true. I miss them (my brother Chris is the only one who lives here...so I see him every day) more than anything or anyone else. I would love to spend two weeks with my family! The thing about it is this: my family knows that I love them. They know that I care and they also know why I don't live in WA with them.
The people that don't know me are the ones that need to know that I love them. I care about people...all people. If I only had two weeks to live I would probably spend them on the streets of Little Rock. I would find Aaron Reddin and The Van, buy lots of caffeine and spend my last 14 days showing people that I care. The people who are downtown don't have a lot of people that actually get to know them. Most people drive by, roll up their windows or look away when they pass the homeless on the street. Aaron would give the shirt off his back to anyone who asked.
That is how I would spend my last two weeks alive. What about you? When you hear "Summer Breeze" do you think about sitting on the beach or passing out some cold water to people under the bridge. When it is too hot for you to even go lay out by the pool, there are people trying to find a spot in a doorway to get out of the sun.
That is what I thought about today.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Friendship is a two way street...or is it...
Today I was reminded of a common thought process that I simply don't agree with. A friend of mine said basically that they were done with one way friendships. No longer are they going to put out all the energy to keep a relationship going. After all...friendship is a two way street.
"Friendship is a two way street" is something that I have heard from different people all of my life. The exact wording may be different but the idea is always the same. You shouldn't pour your time and energy into someone else if you are not going to get that same effort back in return.
I have a couple different reasons that I disagree with this view on friendships/relationships. I will get into those in a moment but first let me say that I am not talking about a dating relationship. If you are trying to find someone to spend your life with then you should see that person put as much time and energy into your relationship as you are going to put into that relationship. What I am talking about is your other relationships. Your friends, your co-workers and even your family members for that matter. Now that I have cleared that up let's talk about why I don't agree with friendship being a two way street.
Reason number 1 is that Jesus said that it was not a two way street. In Luke 6 He explains that it is easy to love people when they love you back. Anyone can love those that love them, but we are suppose to love those that hate us and when someone borrows from you don't ask for it back (that last part is one that most people don't agree with...even if Jesus said it.)
So let's say that you don't really care what Jesus said because you don't consider yourself a Christian or maybe you don't think that is really talking about carrying on a relationship when it feels like you are the only one who is putting any effort into it. That is fine...but what about the people that poured into your life when you were uninterested and didn't really care if they were there or not?
We have all had that teacher, friend, cousin or neighbor that was always doing something nice just because it was the right thing to do. We didn't always appreciate them, we didn't always want them around even, but they kept on doing the right thing and pouring their time and energy into our life. Where would you be without those people? What would your life be like if everyone in your life treated you like you sometimes choose to treat someone else?
I'm not saying you need to be a doormat...or maybe I am. My life (especially my adult life) has been spent doing my best to be there for other people. I don't expect anything in return and a lot of times I get exactly what I expect. People have told me that I shouldn't be that way. I shouldn't waste my time on lost causes. I simply don't agree. If you can't help me in any way, that is all the more reason for me to help you. If I am doing something for you because you will repay me then I am doing it for me and not for you. You will never know true satisfaction from doing things with the expectation of repayment. Friendship is not a two way street. Give every chance you get. Do all you can for others. When you need a hand to help you up, you will be able to take your pick. It doesn't take much to change a life or to rise above average when it comes to being a good friend.
Friendship can be a two way street...but if it ends up being a one-way road that doesn't mean it is a dead end.
"Friendship is a two way street" is something that I have heard from different people all of my life. The exact wording may be different but the idea is always the same. You shouldn't pour your time and energy into someone else if you are not going to get that same effort back in return.
I have a couple different reasons that I disagree with this view on friendships/relationships. I will get into those in a moment but first let me say that I am not talking about a dating relationship. If you are trying to find someone to spend your life with then you should see that person put as much time and energy into your relationship as you are going to put into that relationship. What I am talking about is your other relationships. Your friends, your co-workers and even your family members for that matter. Now that I have cleared that up let's talk about why I don't agree with friendship being a two way street.
Reason number 1 is that Jesus said that it was not a two way street. In Luke 6 He explains that it is easy to love people when they love you back. Anyone can love those that love them, but we are suppose to love those that hate us and when someone borrows from you don't ask for it back (that last part is one that most people don't agree with...even if Jesus said it.)
So let's say that you don't really care what Jesus said because you don't consider yourself a Christian or maybe you don't think that is really talking about carrying on a relationship when it feels like you are the only one who is putting any effort into it. That is fine...but what about the people that poured into your life when you were uninterested and didn't really care if they were there or not?
We have all had that teacher, friend, cousin or neighbor that was always doing something nice just because it was the right thing to do. We didn't always appreciate them, we didn't always want them around even, but they kept on doing the right thing and pouring their time and energy into our life. Where would you be without those people? What would your life be like if everyone in your life treated you like you sometimes choose to treat someone else?
I'm not saying you need to be a doormat...or maybe I am. My life (especially my adult life) has been spent doing my best to be there for other people. I don't expect anything in return and a lot of times I get exactly what I expect. People have told me that I shouldn't be that way. I shouldn't waste my time on lost causes. I simply don't agree. If you can't help me in any way, that is all the more reason for me to help you. If I am doing something for you because you will repay me then I am doing it for me and not for you. You will never know true satisfaction from doing things with the expectation of repayment. Friendship is not a two way street. Give every chance you get. Do all you can for others. When you need a hand to help you up, you will be able to take your pick. It doesn't take much to change a life or to rise above average when it comes to being a good friend.
Friendship can be a two way street...but if it ends up being a one-way road that doesn't mean it is a dead end.
Monday, March 21, 2011
LOVE WINS
Today the UPS man dropped off my copy of LOVE WINS by Rob Bell. I'm going to read it. I'm interested to see what it is says...and I am trying to not judge it before I open it up.
As a person who has dedicated his life to telling people about the love that God has for them and that this love came to maturity when Jesus laid down His life for them (John 3:16...we all know that one) it is hard for me to hear some of the things that I have heard Rob Bell say when talking about his new book.
On the other hand, I have heard him in an interview give a different side. He was talking about Jesus specifically, he mentioned that Jesus paid the price. So I'm not sure what I am going to get when I open this book.
Has this all been a marketing ploy? Is this just get people like me to buy a copy of this book and then find out that all the interviews were just smoke and mirrors? Is it just a play on words and he doesn't really believe anything different than what most mainstream "evangelicals" believe?
I'm not sure...but I will let you all know when I find out. I think I am going to read some of this book today.
As a person who has dedicated his life to telling people about the love that God has for them and that this love came to maturity when Jesus laid down His life for them (John 3:16...we all know that one) it is hard for me to hear some of the things that I have heard Rob Bell say when talking about his new book.
On the other hand, I have heard him in an interview give a different side. He was talking about Jesus specifically, he mentioned that Jesus paid the price. So I'm not sure what I am going to get when I open this book.
Has this all been a marketing ploy? Is this just get people like me to buy a copy of this book and then find out that all the interviews were just smoke and mirrors? Is it just a play on words and he doesn't really believe anything different than what most mainstream "evangelicals" believe?
I'm not sure...but I will let you all know when I find out. I think I am going to read some of this book today.
Friday, March 18, 2011
What is going on with Japan...and the world?
When Katrina hit we had $514 million dollars in aid in the first week...in Japan's first week $87 million! Now I know it was close to home when the hurricane hit, but come on. It just doesn't seem right.
We can tell everyone we care about people, but what do our actions say? Just because you may not have a relative that lives in Japan doesn't mean that you shouldn't help. Just because they are thousands of miles away instead of hundreds of miles away doesn't mean we should care any less. What do you think would have happened if this earthquake had been off the coast of California? Do you think we would have had less than 20% of the response we had to Katrina?
I see people posting pictures, prayers, candles...etc. on their facebook and sending out tweets saying we are praying for the people who were affected...but what good is it to talk and not do?
We can tell everyone we care about people, but what do our actions say? Just because you may not have a relative that lives in Japan doesn't mean that you shouldn't help. Just because they are thousands of miles away instead of hundreds of miles away doesn't mean we should care any less. What do you think would have happened if this earthquake had been off the coast of California? Do you think we would have had less than 20% of the response we had to Katrina?
I see people posting pictures, prayers, candles...etc. on their facebook and sending out tweets saying we are praying for the people who were affected...but what good is it to talk and not do?
"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." -1 John 3:17-18
Monday, January 10, 2011
Life...The Way It Is (pt. 3)
Sorry for the delay in this post. With the holidays and everything I just didn't get a chance to sit down and write. Here we go...
It was around 3 in the afternoon and the five of us (Dirk, Jadon, Tracy, Bryan and me) were walking away from the Salvation Army towards the River Market to get a cup of coffee. On the way there Bryan was saying that we would probably run into Billy (the alcoholic that Bryan helped change tent locations) and his friend Mike. Mike had called Bryan a little earlier and said that Billy was really drunk and he was going to have to drag him back to the Salvation Army. Not too long after we started talking about Billy we look down the road and saw Mike.
When we got to him we could see he was really upset. He said that he tried! He tried to get Billy to come with him but he just wouldn't leave. Mike told us the story. Billy was drunk (and is also on 12 different medications for all sorts of things including blood pressure). He started to get a little out of hand so the security officer at the River Market told them to leave or he would call the police. Well Billy decided he needed to go to the bathroom first, so he did. The problem was it was in the River Market and the police officer was already there. The officer told Mike he had two options. Either the officer could take Billy to jail or he could take him to the hospital. Mike said to take him to the hospital! They loaded Billy into a squad car and Mike started walking back to the Salvation Army and that is when we met him.
He told Bryan to go up to Billy's tent and get his bag. It had all of his I.D. in it along with all of his medications. He also wanted Bryan to charge Billy's phone and bring it up to him. Mike opened up his backpack and pulled out several chargers. He sorted through them to figure out which one was Billy's. He gave Bryan the charger and the phone and then Mike walked off.
We decided to turn around and not go to the River Market for coffee. We decided that we would go to this place down under the train station that Bryan had got coffee the day before. We all walked back past the Salvation Army and towards the train station. As we walked I found out that Dirk had been laid off from his job up in northern Arkansas and he thought Little Rock would have more work. When he got here he found out that was not really the case. The three of them were staying in the Salvation Army and Dirk and Jaden were out looking for jobs every day. They were applying in person and online (they go to the library and look jobs up that way) as well as going to the day-labor agencies to see what was available. In order for them to stay at the Salvation Army they had to spend a certain amount of time looking for jobs and fill out forms as to where they were going and what they were doing. I also found out that they were going to be leaving the Salvation Army in a couple days because Tracy was getting kicked out. She was 4 months pregnant at the time and could not walk all over town looking for a job. Because she wasn't out looking for a job there was a limited amount of time she was allowed to stay at the Salvation Army and her time was almost up.
When we got the the "restaurant" under the train station it didn't appear to be open. We walked up and tried the door and it was locked. Also there was nothing on the window or door that told us what time they would open up! We saw a couple of guys working on a sound system at a second door that was about 25 feet to our right and up on a porch (we had walked up the front steps to the door to what was the main entrance.) We decided to ask them if we could just buy a few cups of coffee. When we go over to the door we opened it up and asked if we could buy some coffee. We told them that Bryan had got some yesterday and as we were talking to them the manager, who had given Bryan coffee and a donation for the outreach ministry the day before, walked up behind us. He explained to us that this was not really a restaurant. It was an event venue that people rented for special events. We told him we were just looking for a cup of coffee and he told us to follow him. We walked to the back into the kitchen and he started to get coffee for us all! He doctored it up the way everyone wanted it and Tracy got a hot chocolate. We talked with him for a few minutes and told him how much we appreciated his hospitality. He was the only non-homeless person who didn't work at a shelter or soup kitchen that really reached out to us while I was on the street. Well he was the only one besides the people that came to visit us (we had some friends visit...but that will come in a minute.)
So now we all had coffee (and one hot chocolate). We decided to relax and sit on the steps and talk. Bryan got a phone call from someone who was going to stop by and say hello. As we sat there we talked more about where everyone was from and how they all got here. As we were talking about Jadon and his military background a car pulled up. It turns out that it was Sharon Bailey. She is a woman that Bryan knew from the church he went to before he started at Benton First Assembly. She was coming down just to hang out and see what was going on. We stayed on the steps and she got to know Tracy, Dirk and Jadon. She asked each of them about their job history and where they were from. Jadon found out that Sharon was in the military too. It was a good time of just sitting around and talking.
We were all done with our drinks and it was almost time for the three of them that were staying at the Salvation Army to go back inside (if you are staying the night at the Salvation Army you have to be inside by a certain time, somewhere around 4:30 or 5...I don't really remember exactly) because they lock the doors after that. When we got back up to the sidewalk across from the Salvation Army Bryan got another phone call. This one was from channel 11 news station. They wanted to come down and interview him right now!
We will talk about what happened after his phone call in part 4.
It was around 3 in the afternoon and the five of us (Dirk, Jadon, Tracy, Bryan and me) were walking away from the Salvation Army towards the River Market to get a cup of coffee. On the way there Bryan was saying that we would probably run into Billy (the alcoholic that Bryan helped change tent locations) and his friend Mike. Mike had called Bryan a little earlier and said that Billy was really drunk and he was going to have to drag him back to the Salvation Army. Not too long after we started talking about Billy we look down the road and saw Mike.
When we got to him we could see he was really upset. He said that he tried! He tried to get Billy to come with him but he just wouldn't leave. Mike told us the story. Billy was drunk (and is also on 12 different medications for all sorts of things including blood pressure). He started to get a little out of hand so the security officer at the River Market told them to leave or he would call the police. Well Billy decided he needed to go to the bathroom first, so he did. The problem was it was in the River Market and the police officer was already there. The officer told Mike he had two options. Either the officer could take Billy to jail or he could take him to the hospital. Mike said to take him to the hospital! They loaded Billy into a squad car and Mike started walking back to the Salvation Army and that is when we met him.
He told Bryan to go up to Billy's tent and get his bag. It had all of his I.D. in it along with all of his medications. He also wanted Bryan to charge Billy's phone and bring it up to him. Mike opened up his backpack and pulled out several chargers. He sorted through them to figure out which one was Billy's. He gave Bryan the charger and the phone and then Mike walked off.
We decided to turn around and not go to the River Market for coffee. We decided that we would go to this place down under the train station that Bryan had got coffee the day before. We all walked back past the Salvation Army and towards the train station. As we walked I found out that Dirk had been laid off from his job up in northern Arkansas and he thought Little Rock would have more work. When he got here he found out that was not really the case. The three of them were staying in the Salvation Army and Dirk and Jaden were out looking for jobs every day. They were applying in person and online (they go to the library and look jobs up that way) as well as going to the day-labor agencies to see what was available. In order for them to stay at the Salvation Army they had to spend a certain amount of time looking for jobs and fill out forms as to where they were going and what they were doing. I also found out that they were going to be leaving the Salvation Army in a couple days because Tracy was getting kicked out. She was 4 months pregnant at the time and could not walk all over town looking for a job. Because she wasn't out looking for a job there was a limited amount of time she was allowed to stay at the Salvation Army and her time was almost up.
When we got the the "restaurant" under the train station it didn't appear to be open. We walked up and tried the door and it was locked. Also there was nothing on the window or door that told us what time they would open up! We saw a couple of guys working on a sound system at a second door that was about 25 feet to our right and up on a porch (we had walked up the front steps to the door to what was the main entrance.) We decided to ask them if we could just buy a few cups of coffee. When we go over to the door we opened it up and asked if we could buy some coffee. We told them that Bryan had got some yesterday and as we were talking to them the manager, who had given Bryan coffee and a donation for the outreach ministry the day before, walked up behind us. He explained to us that this was not really a restaurant. It was an event venue that people rented for special events. We told him we were just looking for a cup of coffee and he told us to follow him. We walked to the back into the kitchen and he started to get coffee for us all! He doctored it up the way everyone wanted it and Tracy got a hot chocolate. We talked with him for a few minutes and told him how much we appreciated his hospitality. He was the only non-homeless person who didn't work at a shelter or soup kitchen that really reached out to us while I was on the street. Well he was the only one besides the people that came to visit us (we had some friends visit...but that will come in a minute.)
So now we all had coffee (and one hot chocolate). We decided to relax and sit on the steps and talk. Bryan got a phone call from someone who was going to stop by and say hello. As we sat there we talked more about where everyone was from and how they all got here. As we were talking about Jadon and his military background a car pulled up. It turns out that it was Sharon Bailey. She is a woman that Bryan knew from the church he went to before he started at Benton First Assembly. She was coming down just to hang out and see what was going on. We stayed on the steps and she got to know Tracy, Dirk and Jadon. She asked each of them about their job history and where they were from. Jadon found out that Sharon was in the military too. It was a good time of just sitting around and talking.
We were all done with our drinks and it was almost time for the three of them that were staying at the Salvation Army to go back inside (if you are staying the night at the Salvation Army you have to be inside by a certain time, somewhere around 4:30 or 5...I don't really remember exactly) because they lock the doors after that. When we got back up to the sidewalk across from the Salvation Army Bryan got another phone call. This one was from channel 11 news station. They wanted to come down and interview him right now!
We will talk about what happened after his phone call in part 4.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Life...The Way It Is (pt. 2)
In my last post Bryan and I had just walked out of the Salvation Army after breakfast. Today we decided we were going to walk around to a couple of places. We are going to have lunch at the "Stew Pot" which is a soup kitchen that I had heard about and then we were going to walk over to the Arkansas Dream Center and see if there was anything we could help them with, but first things first. Our phones needed to be charged! Our first stop, the River Market to charge our phones.
One thing people assume is that homeless people would not have cell phones. The vast majority of them (at least in Little Rock) do in fact have cell phones, so us wanting to charge our phones was not too out of the ordinary. Bryan told me that the day before he had been kicked out of the River Market because he didn't buy anything and they wanted the seats for "paying customers." Now since we had just eaten a big breakfast at the Salvation Army and the River Market is not much more than a mile away we were still full after the walk over. Bryan didn't bring any money with him for his week on the street...I brought a few dollars with me. I bought us coffee and we sat in the middle of the River Market and charged our phones. Security started to walk over to talk to us and then he saw our coffee and literally turned around and walked away. I didn't feel welcome and none of the customers would make eye contact with us (except the homeless people who were all sitting next to each other about ten feet away from us).
Our phones were now charged and it was now time to start walking again. The Stew Pot was not really that close to the River Market so we started walking. As we walked we talked about the buildings and abandoned run-down houses that would be awesome to turn into transitional housing or a shelter. I was surprised at the amount of abandoned buildings...I'm not sure why I was surprised. I guess there were just parts of Little Rock I had never been to before or at least never noticed when I was driving. A city is different on foot.
We got to the Stew Pot and I found out it is inside an First Presbyterian Church. There were a handful of people sitting on the steps waiting for lunchtime to arrive. Bryan and I went and sat on a small ledge and watched as more and more homeless people arrived. While we were sitting there Bryan pulled his phone out and sent a text to someone. A gentleman saw his phone and walked up to us. He asked if Bryan had his charger with him. Bryan said yes as the man pulled his phone out of his pocket. He told us a story about how his phone is a "government" phone (there is some sort of plan that supplies the homeless with free phones, they are pay by the minute phones) and his charger had fallen apart as he was plugging it in while he was at work. He asked Bryan if he would charge it for him and Bryan agreed. He then handed the phone to Bryan and walked away. That struck me as odd...that he would just give a stranger his phone and walk away. There is an interesting community view that the homeless seem to share that I don't really understand yet.
As we were sitting there waiting to go in I saw some dirty looks and heard a couple people make comments about us being cops. Also there was some sort of gang dynamic that I didn't understand (Bryan was a gang member when he was younger...and I guess that is something that is always with you to some extent. I don't know.) So needless to say it was fairly uncomfortable for both of us so I was thankful when they opened the door to let us inside. We walked up two stories to where the lunch was served.
I got into a conversation with the guy that was in line in front of me about how cold it was outside. He was wearing a cammo army uniform all the way down to the boots. He had a metal cane and gloves that had the fingers cut off. I never asked him if he was actually a veteran (he was younger than me...but that doesn't mean anything) or if he just had the clothes. He told me he was warm except for his nose, which he explained had been broken recently. He then pulled it totally over to the side giving himself a small nose bleed and he said he got nose bleeds all the time. He explained that he would have to have surgery and that the cold bothered his nose but the rest of his body was fine. He told me about the 5 or 6 layers of clothes he had on at that very moment. Then we were next to get our food.
I thanked the ladies who were serving us lunch and they seemed to be shocked that I would thank them! One of them said, "You're VERY welcome and have a merry Christmas!" I guess they don't get a lot of thank you's because it is a daily service that they perform. I don't know, I just found it odd. Bryan and I finished our breakfast and the guy came back to see if Bryan was charging his phone. Bryan told him he couldn't find an outlet and the guy said he didn't see one either. He gave the phone back and and the guy walked away.
The lunch they served was again a really large lunch which included salad, chicken noodle soup, bread, coffee, pudding and dessert which was our choice of assorted donuts, bread-pudding or cake. After lunch we walked outside and started to head to the Arkansas Dream Center (which was several miles away). Before we got off the church's property I saw two drug deals. I will talk about the drug deals and other things in a later post, but for now I am going to go on with our day.
We walked across town to the Arkansas Dream Center. We got only to find it empty. Apparently we were too early. It is staffed by volunteers who are college students and they were not back yet, so we turned around and walked away. Bryan wanted to show me the tent city that he had found up in the woods by the capital so we started walking.
We got there and he showed me Billy's tent. Billy is an alcoholic that used to have his tent in the woods in a different location but people kept stealing his stuff when he would leave. He is on 12 medications (which is not a good mix with the booze) and recently had his pills stolen. Two days before Bryan had walked 20+ blocks to the pharmacy to fill his prescription for him after his pills were taken. The day before I arrived Bryan moved Billy to a new location where no one would know where he was. That way his stuff would at least be safer...for now.
We followed a path down the side of a hill behind Billy's tent and came into what used to be a tent city! It was about 25 campsites that were now almost all empty. Homeless people had made a community here at one time and then they had moved on. Bryan told me a story he had heard about that tent city. During the summer most of the empty spots were full. One gentleman would go down to the river and fish all day. At night he would come up and cook fish on an open fire for everyone who was staying in their tent city. Now I know he was homeless and without a job...so he didn't have a lot of other things to do, but that is still pretty impressive. He was doing things for those around him knowing that all he would get back was a thank you. That is not something that you see a lot out of people. Just think about the last time you spent 8 hours of your time doing something for someone who you are not related to that could do nothing for you in return. Just a side thought...but think about it...and now back to the story.
When we made it through the abandoned tent city we walked down to the train tracks. We followed the tracks up to the train station and Bryan told me another story. There is an events center that you can rent for receptions, parties...etc. on the bottom floor of the train station that I had never seen. Bryan told me that the guy who manages it gave him a free soda and also free drinks for his homeless friends that were with him. They started talking and Bryan explained that he was on the street for a week raising funds for outreach ministry and the guy donated some money on the spot!
The train station is couple blocks from the Salvation Army and so we walked up there and I got to meet the homeless friends that also go free drinks before. They were three people I had never met (remember I go to pass out water, food and clothes twice a week down by the Salvation Army). I found out that why I hadn't met them was because by the time I get downtown they are already inside the Salvation Army for the night. There was a taller gentleman who had a on a black stocking hat, a trench coat and dark sunglasses. His beard was trimmed short and his voice was strong and confident. Bryan said he looks like a movie star but he can't remember which one...so I know him as Hollywood (I think Bryan calls him Movie Star, his actual name is Dirk Buck who was a steel worker that lost his job up in Clinton, AR). The second guy was a special forces veteran who was also very clean, he wore a bright red stocking hat and a teal jacket. Bryan calls him Army Guy (his name is actually Jadon Langston and he is a certified welder). With them was a woman named Tracy who I found out was several months pregnant. They asked if we wanted to go get some coffee and just talk.
That sounded like a good idea so we started to walk towards the River Market, by now it was around 3pm and this will end part 2 of my story. I have been homeless for about 15 hours and it has been a new experience filled with a lot of eating, a lot of walking, a lot of drug deals and a few new friends. I will write the next piece soon.
One thing people assume is that homeless people would not have cell phones. The vast majority of them (at least in Little Rock) do in fact have cell phones, so us wanting to charge our phones was not too out of the ordinary. Bryan told me that the day before he had been kicked out of the River Market because he didn't buy anything and they wanted the seats for "paying customers." Now since we had just eaten a big breakfast at the Salvation Army and the River Market is not much more than a mile away we were still full after the walk over. Bryan didn't bring any money with him for his week on the street...I brought a few dollars with me. I bought us coffee and we sat in the middle of the River Market and charged our phones. Security started to walk over to talk to us and then he saw our coffee and literally turned around and walked away. I didn't feel welcome and none of the customers would make eye contact with us (except the homeless people who were all sitting next to each other about ten feet away from us).
Our phones were now charged and it was now time to start walking again. The Stew Pot was not really that close to the River Market so we started walking. As we walked we talked about the buildings and abandoned run-down houses that would be awesome to turn into transitional housing or a shelter. I was surprised at the amount of abandoned buildings...I'm not sure why I was surprised. I guess there were just parts of Little Rock I had never been to before or at least never noticed when I was driving. A city is different on foot.
We got to the Stew Pot and I found out it is inside an First Presbyterian Church. There were a handful of people sitting on the steps waiting for lunchtime to arrive. Bryan and I went and sat on a small ledge and watched as more and more homeless people arrived. While we were sitting there Bryan pulled his phone out and sent a text to someone. A gentleman saw his phone and walked up to us. He asked if Bryan had his charger with him. Bryan said yes as the man pulled his phone out of his pocket. He told us a story about how his phone is a "government" phone (there is some sort of plan that supplies the homeless with free phones, they are pay by the minute phones) and his charger had fallen apart as he was plugging it in while he was at work. He asked Bryan if he would charge it for him and Bryan agreed. He then handed the phone to Bryan and walked away. That struck me as odd...that he would just give a stranger his phone and walk away. There is an interesting community view that the homeless seem to share that I don't really understand yet.
As we were sitting there waiting to go in I saw some dirty looks and heard a couple people make comments about us being cops. Also there was some sort of gang dynamic that I didn't understand (Bryan was a gang member when he was younger...and I guess that is something that is always with you to some extent. I don't know.) So needless to say it was fairly uncomfortable for both of us so I was thankful when they opened the door to let us inside. We walked up two stories to where the lunch was served.
I got into a conversation with the guy that was in line in front of me about how cold it was outside. He was wearing a cammo army uniform all the way down to the boots. He had a metal cane and gloves that had the fingers cut off. I never asked him if he was actually a veteran (he was younger than me...but that doesn't mean anything) or if he just had the clothes. He told me he was warm except for his nose, which he explained had been broken recently. He then pulled it totally over to the side giving himself a small nose bleed and he said he got nose bleeds all the time. He explained that he would have to have surgery and that the cold bothered his nose but the rest of his body was fine. He told me about the 5 or 6 layers of clothes he had on at that very moment. Then we were next to get our food.
I thanked the ladies who were serving us lunch and they seemed to be shocked that I would thank them! One of them said, "You're VERY welcome and have a merry Christmas!" I guess they don't get a lot of thank you's because it is a daily service that they perform. I don't know, I just found it odd. Bryan and I finished our breakfast and the guy came back to see if Bryan was charging his phone. Bryan told him he couldn't find an outlet and the guy said he didn't see one either. He gave the phone back and and the guy walked away.
The lunch they served was again a really large lunch which included salad, chicken noodle soup, bread, coffee, pudding and dessert which was our choice of assorted donuts, bread-pudding or cake. After lunch we walked outside and started to head to the Arkansas Dream Center (which was several miles away). Before we got off the church's property I saw two drug deals. I will talk about the drug deals and other things in a later post, but for now I am going to go on with our day.
We walked across town to the Arkansas Dream Center. We got only to find it empty. Apparently we were too early. It is staffed by volunteers who are college students and they were not back yet, so we turned around and walked away. Bryan wanted to show me the tent city that he had found up in the woods by the capital so we started walking.
We got there and he showed me Billy's tent. Billy is an alcoholic that used to have his tent in the woods in a different location but people kept stealing his stuff when he would leave. He is on 12 medications (which is not a good mix with the booze) and recently had his pills stolen. Two days before Bryan had walked 20+ blocks to the pharmacy to fill his prescription for him after his pills were taken. The day before I arrived Bryan moved Billy to a new location where no one would know where he was. That way his stuff would at least be safer...for now.
We followed a path down the side of a hill behind Billy's tent and came into what used to be a tent city! It was about 25 campsites that were now almost all empty. Homeless people had made a community here at one time and then they had moved on. Bryan told me a story he had heard about that tent city. During the summer most of the empty spots were full. One gentleman would go down to the river and fish all day. At night he would come up and cook fish on an open fire for everyone who was staying in their tent city. Now I know he was homeless and without a job...so he didn't have a lot of other things to do, but that is still pretty impressive. He was doing things for those around him knowing that all he would get back was a thank you. That is not something that you see a lot out of people. Just think about the last time you spent 8 hours of your time doing something for someone who you are not related to that could do nothing for you in return. Just a side thought...but think about it...and now back to the story.
When we made it through the abandoned tent city we walked down to the train tracks. We followed the tracks up to the train station and Bryan told me another story. There is an events center that you can rent for receptions, parties...etc. on the bottom floor of the train station that I had never seen. Bryan told me that the guy who manages it gave him a free soda and also free drinks for his homeless friends that were with him. They started talking and Bryan explained that he was on the street for a week raising funds for outreach ministry and the guy donated some money on the spot!
The train station is couple blocks from the Salvation Army and so we walked up there and I got to meet the homeless friends that also go free drinks before. They were three people I had never met (remember I go to pass out water, food and clothes twice a week down by the Salvation Army). I found out that why I hadn't met them was because by the time I get downtown they are already inside the Salvation Army for the night. There was a taller gentleman who had a on a black stocking hat, a trench coat and dark sunglasses. His beard was trimmed short and his voice was strong and confident. Bryan said he looks like a movie star but he can't remember which one...so I know him as Hollywood (I think Bryan calls him Movie Star, his actual name is Dirk Buck who was a steel worker that lost his job up in Clinton, AR). The second guy was a special forces veteran who was also very clean, he wore a bright red stocking hat and a teal jacket. Bryan calls him Army Guy (his name is actually Jadon Langston and he is a certified welder). With them was a woman named Tracy who I found out was several months pregnant. They asked if we wanted to go get some coffee and just talk.
That sounded like a good idea so we started to walk towards the River Market, by now it was around 3pm and this will end part 2 of my story. I have been homeless for about 15 hours and it has been a new experience filled with a lot of eating, a lot of walking, a lot of drug deals and a few new friends. I will write the next piece soon.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Life...The Way It Is (pt. 1)
This is the first part of at least a three part series of posts I will be writing over the next week or so.
As many of you know I was "homeless" for 48 hours. Bryan Walker is the outreach minister for Benton 1st Assembly. He stayed on the street for a week as a fundraiser for the outreach ministry there and I stayed with him for two days.
Channel 11 came down and did a report on what Bryan was doing.
This first post is going to be about my time down on the street. It all started with a text message on Wednesday night. I closing up the coffee shop at my church after service. It was from Bryan and he said that he was not downtown, he was in Benton at 1st Assembly. He said he had a 19 year old girl that he rescued from the street and that he wanted me to come over to 1st Assembly while they figured out what to do in regards to this girl.
When I got over there he explained the situation. This girl had shown up and no one knew her. She said she lived on the streets and she was from Little Rock. She said her parents had died and now the street was her home. One of the homeless men had given her most of a bottle of vodka and she was REALLY drunk. Bryan called his mother (who had come down to visit him earlier) and she came and picked them up. The young lady threw up before she left the street and then she threw up again in the car on the way back to the church.
Something was not adding up with this girl. She wouldn't tell anyone exactly where she grew up or exactly where she lived. We asked for her birthday and she wouldn't say, but she kept saying she was 19...even when we didn't ask her how old she was. After some discussion we decided to call the cops. I called a friend of mine who is a state trooper and he called the Benton PD and had them send an officer over. The officer talked to Tara (that is the name of the young lady) and she told him her birthday. It ended up she was only 16, she was autistic and she was a runaway. The officer took her into custody and delivered her to juvenile services. That is how my time as a homeless man started...from there Bryan and I drove down to 3rd and Markham to stay the night.
When we got there it was already cold and dark. The police had kicked the homeless people off of the sidewalk where we were going to sleep and they had to move to a vacant parking lot behind a building. There isn't a huge difference between sleeping on a concrete sidewalk or an asphalt parking lot, so we got our "beds" ready and laid down. I had a sleeping bag (I forgot a pillow) and Bryan had a large comforter that would go over both of our sleeping bags to keep the wind out. So I was next to Bryan and about 5 feet away there was a stack of blankets and sleeping bags at least as high as a normal mattress would have been. On this mound of bedding were three homeless people. One older gentleman (we call him Pops), a woman (who I found out is a crack addict prostitute) and a middle aged gentleman (who was also a crack addict).
As we started to settle in for the night and the conversation started to slow down they started singing. Yes, I was serenaded by three homeless people. They sang a wide range of country music, old gospel and some blues. The only problem was that they didn't know any of the songs all the way through. You would get about one verse and maybe the chorus and then it would be time for another song. That went on until about 2:30am or so and I started to fade in and out of sleep. I found out in the morning that part of the discomfort I felt while laying there was because I had a tennis ball sized piece of asphalt under my back! I didn't see it when I laid my sleeping bag down because it was already dark when I got there. I also couldn't move to one side or the other due to the comforter situation (if I moved away I would be out from under it and and closer and I would be cuddled with Bryan...which neither of us wanted.)
Around 5am I was jolted awake by a man shaking both Bryan and myself. He was asking to use one of our phones. He said he needed to let someone know where to bring his truck. Bryan let him use his phone and the guy told someone to come down to the "Sally" which is what they call the Salvation Army. He thanked Bryan and walked away. Later Bryan told me that he was actually setting up a drug deal.
After the rude awakening I didn't sleep very well, which was probably for the best. I needed to be up around 6:30am to go get in line for breakfast at the Salvation Army.
The sun wasn't up yet and it was really cold when I got out of my sleeping bag. Bryan got up too and he folded up his sleeping bag and the comforter. I took the sleeping bag my roommate had loaned me and put it in the trunk of my car and Bryan left his bedding in a stack with all of the bedding of the homeless people who had sang us to sleep the night before. Now it was time for breakfast!
We got in line at the side door of the Salvation Army. The door opened just after 7am and we walked in. You have to sign in as you enter and the line goes two different directions. One line for coffee and then you turn around and go find the end of the other line for the food. I got coffee out of the big cooler and got in the food line. I looked at the breakfast (the people who were in the front of the line were already sitting down and eating). It was a donut, scrambled eggs with sausage mixed in, a hard boiled egg, rice a banana and a cup of apple juice. Since I don't eat eggs I was a bit nervous about the whole thing. I didn't want to waste any food...but no one was customizing their orders in the food line. You picked up your tray and you sat down.
There were not two empty seats next to each other so Bryan sat at one table and I sat at another table. I offered my eggs to a woman next to me when I had eaten everything else and she gladly accepted. Just before I got up to go a woman walked in the door. She had a clip-board in her hand and she started talking over the crowd noise. She said that once again this year they were going to rent hotel rooms for anyone who was NOT getting a check for Christmas so that they wouldn't have to sleep on the street. She said if you were getting a check she would find out about it and take you off the list! Also she said that you couldn't bring your girlfriend into your hotel room to stay the night! She said it was a Christian company that was based on Christian values and if you wanted to "shack up" with your girl you could rent your own room!
At that it was time for us to go, so Bryan and I walked outside.
That was my first 8 hours as a homeless man...I will pick up the story in part two.
As many of you know I was "homeless" for 48 hours. Bryan Walker is the outreach minister for Benton 1st Assembly. He stayed on the street for a week as a fundraiser for the outreach ministry there and I stayed with him for two days.
Channel 11 came down and did a report on what Bryan was doing.
This first post is going to be about my time down on the street. It all started with a text message on Wednesday night. I closing up the coffee shop at my church after service. It was from Bryan and he said that he was not downtown, he was in Benton at 1st Assembly. He said he had a 19 year old girl that he rescued from the street and that he wanted me to come over to 1st Assembly while they figured out what to do in regards to this girl.
When I got over there he explained the situation. This girl had shown up and no one knew her. She said she lived on the streets and she was from Little Rock. She said her parents had died and now the street was her home. One of the homeless men had given her most of a bottle of vodka and she was REALLY drunk. Bryan called his mother (who had come down to visit him earlier) and she came and picked them up. The young lady threw up before she left the street and then she threw up again in the car on the way back to the church.
Something was not adding up with this girl. She wouldn't tell anyone exactly where she grew up or exactly where she lived. We asked for her birthday and she wouldn't say, but she kept saying she was 19...even when we didn't ask her how old she was. After some discussion we decided to call the cops. I called a friend of mine who is a state trooper and he called the Benton PD and had them send an officer over. The officer talked to Tara (that is the name of the young lady) and she told him her birthday. It ended up she was only 16, she was autistic and she was a runaway. The officer took her into custody and delivered her to juvenile services. That is how my time as a homeless man started...from there Bryan and I drove down to 3rd and Markham to stay the night.
When we got there it was already cold and dark. The police had kicked the homeless people off of the sidewalk where we were going to sleep and they had to move to a vacant parking lot behind a building. There isn't a huge difference between sleeping on a concrete sidewalk or an asphalt parking lot, so we got our "beds" ready and laid down. I had a sleeping bag (I forgot a pillow) and Bryan had a large comforter that would go over both of our sleeping bags to keep the wind out. So I was next to Bryan and about 5 feet away there was a stack of blankets and sleeping bags at least as high as a normal mattress would have been. On this mound of bedding were three homeless people. One older gentleman (we call him Pops), a woman (who I found out is a crack addict prostitute) and a middle aged gentleman (who was also a crack addict).
As we started to settle in for the night and the conversation started to slow down they started singing. Yes, I was serenaded by three homeless people. They sang a wide range of country music, old gospel and some blues. The only problem was that they didn't know any of the songs all the way through. You would get about one verse and maybe the chorus and then it would be time for another song. That went on until about 2:30am or so and I started to fade in and out of sleep. I found out in the morning that part of the discomfort I felt while laying there was because I had a tennis ball sized piece of asphalt under my back! I didn't see it when I laid my sleeping bag down because it was already dark when I got there. I also couldn't move to one side or the other due to the comforter situation (if I moved away I would be out from under it and and closer and I would be cuddled with Bryan...which neither of us wanted.)
Around 5am I was jolted awake by a man shaking both Bryan and myself. He was asking to use one of our phones. He said he needed to let someone know where to bring his truck. Bryan let him use his phone and the guy told someone to come down to the "Sally" which is what they call the Salvation Army. He thanked Bryan and walked away. Later Bryan told me that he was actually setting up a drug deal.
After the rude awakening I didn't sleep very well, which was probably for the best. I needed to be up around 6:30am to go get in line for breakfast at the Salvation Army.
The sun wasn't up yet and it was really cold when I got out of my sleeping bag. Bryan got up too and he folded up his sleeping bag and the comforter. I took the sleeping bag my roommate had loaned me and put it in the trunk of my car and Bryan left his bedding in a stack with all of the bedding of the homeless people who had sang us to sleep the night before. Now it was time for breakfast!
We got in line at the side door of the Salvation Army. The door opened just after 7am and we walked in. You have to sign in as you enter and the line goes two different directions. One line for coffee and then you turn around and go find the end of the other line for the food. I got coffee out of the big cooler and got in the food line. I looked at the breakfast (the people who were in the front of the line were already sitting down and eating). It was a donut, scrambled eggs with sausage mixed in, a hard boiled egg, rice a banana and a cup of apple juice. Since I don't eat eggs I was a bit nervous about the whole thing. I didn't want to waste any food...but no one was customizing their orders in the food line. You picked up your tray and you sat down.
There were not two empty seats next to each other so Bryan sat at one table and I sat at another table. I offered my eggs to a woman next to me when I had eaten everything else and she gladly accepted. Just before I got up to go a woman walked in the door. She had a clip-board in her hand and she started talking over the crowd noise. She said that once again this year they were going to rent hotel rooms for anyone who was NOT getting a check for Christmas so that they wouldn't have to sleep on the street. She said if you were getting a check she would find out about it and take you off the list! Also she said that you couldn't bring your girlfriend into your hotel room to stay the night! She said it was a Christian company that was based on Christian values and if you wanted to "shack up" with your girl you could rent your own room!
At that it was time for us to go, so Bryan and I walked outside.
That was my first 8 hours as a homeless man...I will pick up the story in part two.
Monday, November 8, 2010
My birthday wish...
A few months ago I started talking about things that I would like to see happen. I discussed the fact that I would like to help more people. I have taken some time off from writing and now I think it is time to start up again. In 3 weeks it will be my birthday. I know that most of you who read this and most of the people on my facebook (where I will post this as a note and a link) were not planning on getting me any presents. I am aware that we reserve gift giving for some family members and our closest friends. That is fine, I understand that fact and I am in no way asking you to give ME a present. I don't need anything right now. I am not going without anything that falls into the "need" category.
Some of the people who started to read this already stopped and won't find out what it is that I am asking. I know that people have a short attention span...so I will just talk to those of you who are still reading. In a previous blog I mentioned the fact that I was going to find a charity that I could believe in and have anyone who wanted to do something for my birthday to donate to that charity. I did my research.
I found some CRAZY stats on the lack of clean water in the world. I know that I can not change the living conditions of the 2.5 billion people who don't have access to proper sanitation. I also know that I can not save the three children that have died from water related diseases since you started reading this post. What I can do is what I will do. I will do my best to educate people, donate what I can and give others the opportunity to do the same.
Here is my birthday wish:
I want everyone who reads this post to donate $1.00 to help people get clean water.
DONATE $1.00
If you click on that link and give $1.00. That is my birthday wish.
Now for my part. For everyone person wishes me happy birthday either on here or on my facebook between now and my birthday I will donate $1.00 to The Water Project myself. Now I know that I will have a decent amount of people who will wish me happy birthday so I won't be able to donate the entire amount on day one...but I will do it. If you want to know how the donations are going you can email me, leave a comment here or send me a message on my facebook and I will let you know the status of my birthday donation.
I'm not doing this because I am really worried about what you will think of me...I want people to live. This is one way I can help, it may be a small way...but it is what I can do at the moment. Please don't forget to click on the link and donate $1.00.
Thank you all. Remember to look around you today and see if there is someone who needs help. Reach out while you can.
Some of the people who started to read this already stopped and won't find out what it is that I am asking. I know that people have a short attention span...so I will just talk to those of you who are still reading. In a previous blog I mentioned the fact that I was going to find a charity that I could believe in and have anyone who wanted to do something for my birthday to donate to that charity. I did my research.
I found some CRAZY stats on the lack of clean water in the world. I know that I can not change the living conditions of the 2.5 billion people who don't have access to proper sanitation. I also know that I can not save the three children that have died from water related diseases since you started reading this post. What I can do is what I will do. I will do my best to educate people, donate what I can and give others the opportunity to do the same.
Here is my birthday wish:
I want everyone who reads this post to donate $1.00 to help people get clean water.
DONATE $1.00
If you click on that link and give $1.00. That is my birthday wish.
Now for my part. For everyone person wishes me happy birthday either on here or on my facebook between now and my birthday I will donate $1.00 to The Water Project myself. Now I know that I will have a decent amount of people who will wish me happy birthday so I won't be able to donate the entire amount on day one...but I will do it. If you want to know how the donations are going you can email me, leave a comment here or send me a message on my facebook and I will let you know the status of my birthday donation.
I'm not doing this because I am really worried about what you will think of me...I want people to live. This is one way I can help, it may be a small way...but it is what I can do at the moment. Please don't forget to click on the link and donate $1.00.
Thank you all. Remember to look around you today and see if there is someone who needs help. Reach out while you can.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
A lot to think about...
So in the past couple of days I have been faced with multiple couples coming to me with various issues. All of them very serious and all of them very different. Each couple is facing problems that I wouldn't have seen coming. Some came to me as a friend, some came to me as a pastor but none came to me to "fix" their situations. They needed someone to listen to them.
The way I see it love is a choice. The feelings you get when you "fall in love" come and go as the relationship grows. What holds the relationship together is two people who are in it for the long haul. Seeing as I am single, that is easy for me to say. I'm aware that it would seem odd to some that anyone would come to me for anything having to do with relationships...but mainly I think it is because I will listen.
Too often we get caught up in wanting to fix people or fix their problems. Most times, they need someone to listen to them. I point people back to the truth...but I don't tell them what they need to do very often. They already know, they just need to process it.
So I guess this has been a lot to think about because over the years I have seen so many "good" marriages fail. So many good people make dumb choices and be selfish. I know that marriages can last, I know they were designed to function correctly...I just don't see enough of that going on around me. I will do my best to lead by example when the time comes. I'm just not trying to rush into anything. No reason to push something that is only going to make things harder, you know?
The way I see it love is a choice. The feelings you get when you "fall in love" come and go as the relationship grows. What holds the relationship together is two people who are in it for the long haul. Seeing as I am single, that is easy for me to say. I'm aware that it would seem odd to some that anyone would come to me for anything having to do with relationships...but mainly I think it is because I will listen.
Too often we get caught up in wanting to fix people or fix their problems. Most times, they need someone to listen to them. I point people back to the truth...but I don't tell them what they need to do very often. They already know, they just need to process it.
So I guess this has been a lot to think about because over the years I have seen so many "good" marriages fail. So many good people make dumb choices and be selfish. I know that marriages can last, I know they were designed to function correctly...I just don't see enough of that going on around me. I will do my best to lead by example when the time comes. I'm just not trying to rush into anything. No reason to push something that is only going to make things harder, you know?
Monday, August 30, 2010
How has everyone missed supply and demand in the economic talks?
I don't normally write anything political or even anything about the economy. This post will be a bit out of the ordinary for me. I don't consider myself to be a business expert. I am someone who pays attention to people and situations, that is all I am.
Here is my question: why are we surprised that our economy is faultering when we ignored the laws of supply and demand for so long?
What do I mean by that? When I was young there was a movement across the country to "Buy American!" There were signs, banners, billboards and the occasional commerical that said we should buy things that were made in the U.S.A.!
At that time it didn't make much difference to me since the only things I cared about buying were baseball cards and wiffle ball supplies. As I got older I learned that the cheapest and best electronics and cars came from other countries. Also most toys came from a factory in another country as well. I figured that we needed to buy it from who ever made it the best and the cheapest and then the margin that we sold it for at the store would make the profits that we needed to continue to be the wealthiest country in the world.
This is pretty much how things have gone since I was a kid. People have exported production and imported good. We raise prices to pay for: the purchase of the product from the manufacturer, the shipping into the U.S., the rental or purchase of a storefront, the employee salaries/benefits and the taxes on all of the above.
If you think about it for a second something will start to show up. We are a nation of consumers. The only way a nation of consumers can continue to consume is if we are also a nation of producers. We have to eventually play both sides of supply and demand. If we are not exporting as much as we are importing we will eventually be giving more money away to other countries than we are getting back. That means we will not have the money to create new jobs or sustain the ones we have.
Does that sound familiar to anyone but me? The country is looking for a stimulus package or a government solution to our problem. How about we do this instead. Look for the "Made in the U.S.A." label and buy that stuff. If we do that then the factories where those products are produced will have to hire more workers and increase production. If more people are working and more money is going back into our economy then we will see economic growth.
Am I way off in my thinking? Am I making it too simple? You may pay a little more to buy something that was made in the U.S. instead of somewhere else, but in the long run it still makes sense. Prices will go down if we can produce more products. Mass production is how you get the price down, but there is no need for mass production in the U.S. if we are not buying any of our own products.
We obviously won't ever stop importing products. The problem is that we need to start working on improving U.S. products so that we will export more finished products than we are importing. I don't benefit from anyone buying any "Made in the U.S.A." products. I don't work for or own stock in any company that would benefit from my "plan". I just think that it makes sense and I haven't heard anyone talk about it. Maybe I wasn't listening, maybe you know better than me. I'm all ears.
Here is my question: why are we surprised that our economy is faultering when we ignored the laws of supply and demand for so long?
What do I mean by that? When I was young there was a movement across the country to "Buy American!" There were signs, banners, billboards and the occasional commerical that said we should buy things that were made in the U.S.A.!
At that time it didn't make much difference to me since the only things I cared about buying were baseball cards and wiffle ball supplies. As I got older I learned that the cheapest and best electronics and cars came from other countries. Also most toys came from a factory in another country as well. I figured that we needed to buy it from who ever made it the best and the cheapest and then the margin that we sold it for at the store would make the profits that we needed to continue to be the wealthiest country in the world.
This is pretty much how things have gone since I was a kid. People have exported production and imported good. We raise prices to pay for: the purchase of the product from the manufacturer, the shipping into the U.S., the rental or purchase of a storefront, the employee salaries/benefits and the taxes on all of the above.
If you think about it for a second something will start to show up. We are a nation of consumers. The only way a nation of consumers can continue to consume is if we are also a nation of producers. We have to eventually play both sides of supply and demand. If we are not exporting as much as we are importing we will eventually be giving more money away to other countries than we are getting back. That means we will not have the money to create new jobs or sustain the ones we have.
Does that sound familiar to anyone but me? The country is looking for a stimulus package or a government solution to our problem. How about we do this instead. Look for the "Made in the U.S.A." label and buy that stuff. If we do that then the factories where those products are produced will have to hire more workers and increase production. If more people are working and more money is going back into our economy then we will see economic growth.
Am I way off in my thinking? Am I making it too simple? You may pay a little more to buy something that was made in the U.S. instead of somewhere else, but in the long run it still makes sense. Prices will go down if we can produce more products. Mass production is how you get the price down, but there is no need for mass production in the U.S. if we are not buying any of our own products.
We obviously won't ever stop importing products. The problem is that we need to start working on improving U.S. products so that we will export more finished products than we are importing. I don't benefit from anyone buying any "Made in the U.S.A." products. I don't work for or own stock in any company that would benefit from my "plan". I just think that it makes sense and I haven't heard anyone talk about it. Maybe I wasn't listening, maybe you know better than me. I'm all ears.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
I can't let it go...
I know that most people don't read a blog if it is over 500 words. This one will probably be too long for most of you to read. Know this, we can all do more. If you don't ever get anything else out of what I write please get this: we all need to do more to help our fellow man.
I am currently sitting in my office getting ready for service tonight. I know that when I am done closing up the coffee shop tonight I will go home to my apartment. I will go into an apartment where I have all the food I need, a bed to sleep in, a shower, clean dishes and way more clothes than I need.
I know that I am blessed, blessed beyond what I deserve. There is something stirring in me and it has been stirring for a while. I'm not sure exactly what it is and I have had a really hard time putting it into words. I'm not sure that today, right now is the right place or the right time but let's see how this turns out.
In the past few months I have run into some interesting people. I have read some interesting books and articles. There seems to be a thread running through my life and the lives of those I am coming into contact with. That thread seems to be a willingness to sacrifice.
Last week I found a blog, by accident, of a college student who is living on the streets. He chose to be homeless and is planning on living out of his van for the next year. I found a video online of a group of teens that spent 40 hours on the street with no possessions and no where to go. They had to search for food and sleep on the ground. I saw another video of a group that went down to Louisiana and spent a few days passing out food and clothing to the homeless and the poor in that area.
Those are the people I don't know in places I don't live. There have been some real experiences for me here in Arkansas lately too. I am making more friends that seem to not be concerned with stuff and holding onto things. I have started going downtown consistently with a small group and passing out water and a few things to the people on the streets here. We have made some new friends and last night was one of my "favorite" trips downtown (if you can have a favorite trip). We saw some of our friends we hadn't seen in a few weeks, we exchanged phone numbers with a couple of the homeless people and told them we would get a hold of them next time we come downtown.
We will be back and we will try to get a hold of them. If we see them all again it will be because they are still on the street. They still don't have jobs and they still don't have homes. That is a hard concept for me to deal with.
I know that a lot of them are on the street because of their own choices and addictions. That is not up for debate. The thing that gets to me is that it was so easy for us to get to know them. It took us showing up and spending an hour with them one night. Ever since that night we have been friends. We know each other by name and when they see us coming they come out of where ever they are to say hello. The water and the food are less important than they were that first night. We talk about our week and we laugh at each others jokes. We are really friends, maybe not "close" friends but we are friends.
I want to do more. On my second trip to downtown Little Rock to see the same group of people I had an interesting conversation. A gentleman who calls himself "Smiley" asked me if I knew his friend. She lived in Bryant and he thought we might know each other. I said I didn't know her. He then proceeded to tell me about her. He said she comes down with her van and takes a group back to her house. They shower, clean up and get on fresh clothes. Then they all go to the mall in Conway. He told me it was a lot of fun because the people there don't know they are homeless. He said it was great to spend a couple of house being treated like a regular person instead of a homeless person. He looked me right in the eye and said, "People treat you different when they know you are homeless."
That broke my heart. Does having a home make me a better person than someone who doesn't have one? Do my things make me more important that someone who doesn't have things? Does the fact that I may be able to help you if you needed help make me someone who you want to know? "Smiley" has issues. He is on medication for a few things, but he is a lot of fun to talk to. He carries on great conversations, he is smart and seems to be fairly well educated. He used to own his own business, he was a home owner and he had a family. Now he expects people to treat him like less than a person. He knows that he is not going to get the respect of a "normal person" when he goes around town. He is not bitter, he isn't angry, he knows he made poor choices and that is why he is where he is today.
So what is it that I can't let go? I want to know how much more I could be doing. I want to know how I can help the people I have met...and more than that how I can help the people that are worse off than them!
The people who live on the streets in America still eat better than a large portion of the people in the world today. What am I going to do to help the people who actually don't have the ability to help themselves? I am still working on that. I will come up with a way, I will come up with an answer to the question that is eating at me. When I do I will ask you for your help. This isn't something just for me, this is a global problem with a global solution. For now I am asking you to look around. Open your eyes to the needs that are around you. Do something today.
I am currently sitting in my office getting ready for service tonight. I know that when I am done closing up the coffee shop tonight I will go home to my apartment. I will go into an apartment where I have all the food I need, a bed to sleep in, a shower, clean dishes and way more clothes than I need.
I know that I am blessed, blessed beyond what I deserve. There is something stirring in me and it has been stirring for a while. I'm not sure exactly what it is and I have had a really hard time putting it into words. I'm not sure that today, right now is the right place or the right time but let's see how this turns out.
In the past few months I have run into some interesting people. I have read some interesting books and articles. There seems to be a thread running through my life and the lives of those I am coming into contact with. That thread seems to be a willingness to sacrifice.
Last week I found a blog, by accident, of a college student who is living on the streets. He chose to be homeless and is planning on living out of his van for the next year. I found a video online of a group of teens that spent 40 hours on the street with no possessions and no where to go. They had to search for food and sleep on the ground. I saw another video of a group that went down to Louisiana and spent a few days passing out food and clothing to the homeless and the poor in that area.
Those are the people I don't know in places I don't live. There have been some real experiences for me here in Arkansas lately too. I am making more friends that seem to not be concerned with stuff and holding onto things. I have started going downtown consistently with a small group and passing out water and a few things to the people on the streets here. We have made some new friends and last night was one of my "favorite" trips downtown (if you can have a favorite trip). We saw some of our friends we hadn't seen in a few weeks, we exchanged phone numbers with a couple of the homeless people and told them we would get a hold of them next time we come downtown.
We will be back and we will try to get a hold of them. If we see them all again it will be because they are still on the street. They still don't have jobs and they still don't have homes. That is a hard concept for me to deal with.
I know that a lot of them are on the street because of their own choices and addictions. That is not up for debate. The thing that gets to me is that it was so easy for us to get to know them. It took us showing up and spending an hour with them one night. Ever since that night we have been friends. We know each other by name and when they see us coming they come out of where ever they are to say hello. The water and the food are less important than they were that first night. We talk about our week and we laugh at each others jokes. We are really friends, maybe not "close" friends but we are friends.
I want to do more. On my second trip to downtown Little Rock to see the same group of people I had an interesting conversation. A gentleman who calls himself "Smiley" asked me if I knew his friend. She lived in Bryant and he thought we might know each other. I said I didn't know her. He then proceeded to tell me about her. He said she comes down with her van and takes a group back to her house. They shower, clean up and get on fresh clothes. Then they all go to the mall in Conway. He told me it was a lot of fun because the people there don't know they are homeless. He said it was great to spend a couple of house being treated like a regular person instead of a homeless person. He looked me right in the eye and said, "People treat you different when they know you are homeless."
That broke my heart. Does having a home make me a better person than someone who doesn't have one? Do my things make me more important that someone who doesn't have things? Does the fact that I may be able to help you if you needed help make me someone who you want to know? "Smiley" has issues. He is on medication for a few things, but he is a lot of fun to talk to. He carries on great conversations, he is smart and seems to be fairly well educated. He used to own his own business, he was a home owner and he had a family. Now he expects people to treat him like less than a person. He knows that he is not going to get the respect of a "normal person" when he goes around town. He is not bitter, he isn't angry, he knows he made poor choices and that is why he is where he is today.
So what is it that I can't let go? I want to know how much more I could be doing. I want to know how I can help the people I have met...and more than that how I can help the people that are worse off than them!
The people who live on the streets in America still eat better than a large portion of the people in the world today. What am I going to do to help the people who actually don't have the ability to help themselves? I am still working on that. I will come up with a way, I will come up with an answer to the question that is eating at me. When I do I will ask you for your help. This isn't something just for me, this is a global problem with a global solution. For now I am asking you to look around. Open your eyes to the needs that are around you. Do something today.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
My status was too long...
I tried to change my status several times on facebook. From my phone apparently it doesn't correct you or even put it into a second status...it just says it is too long and deletes it.
I guess I should have started with a blog and then linked them...but I didn't know that it would be a problem.
So here is the deal. People often say that they will give up ANYTHING for Jesus and for "The Call!"
My question is simply this, "What have you and what are you giving up right now?" To say you will give me a glass of water when I am thirsty is meaningless unless it is followed up by the action of actually giving me a glass of water when I'm thirsty.
To say you are willing and then to never "feel" like God is asking you to give anything up or to lay anything down to help others brings into question if you are actually willing.
I don't want to hear anything that you are giving up or laying down so that you can help others. That is between you and God. I simply want you to look at your life, look at what you have, and look at what you spend your time doing. Then I want you to talk to God. Have a conversation, ask Him what He wants you to do for other people...then when He tells you something, actually do it.
People all around us need help...and we are too busy to notice.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
I guess I should have started with a blog and then linked them...but I didn't know that it would be a problem.
So here is the deal. People often say that they will give up ANYTHING for Jesus and for "The Call!"
My question is simply this, "What have you and what are you giving up right now?" To say you will give me a glass of water when I am thirsty is meaningless unless it is followed up by the action of actually giving me a glass of water when I'm thirsty.
To say you are willing and then to never "feel" like God is asking you to give anything up or to lay anything down to help others brings into question if you are actually willing.
I don't want to hear anything that you are giving up or laying down so that you can help others. That is between you and God. I simply want you to look at your life, look at what you have, and look at what you spend your time doing. Then I want you to talk to God. Have a conversation, ask Him what He wants you to do for other people...then when He tells you something, actually do it.
People all around us need help...and we are too busy to notice.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Friday, July 30, 2010
Being homeless makes you no less of a person...
I was in downtown Little Rock last week. It was dark but still about 90 degrees and humid. Across the river was a stadium full of people watching a minor league baseball game and the highway behind us was full of people on their way...somewhere.
There were 7 of us downtown that night. We were outsiders. This was not our home, this was not where we "belonged." We came with cold water, some apples and a few pairs of shoes. It was the least we could do...literally, the least we could do. We took a couple hours out of our night to go spend some time with people who don't get a lot of personal attention.
Two of us decided to go see if we could find anyone else who might want a bottle of cold water while the rest of the group spent time talking to those few people who we found right when we arrived. On the walk I was talking to my friend. He was telling me about his time working for a homeless shelter. He spent over 3 years living and working in a homeless shelter. He wasn't getting paid, he had no other home, he had no other mode of transportation besides the vehicles that the shelter owned. He had volunteered to be homeless. That is not something that many people will do. He was explaining to me that he was just as homeless as anyone who stayed in his shelter while he was there. The thing of it is, he was no less of a man when he was there than he was right now. He has a home, he has a car, he has a job that pays him. Yet when he had none of those things, he was still the same man.
Earlier in the night he had said that people tie their worth to their possessions. Both Christians and non-Christians do the same thing. If we lose their "stuff" then WE are no longer worth as much. You can see it in how we talk about the poor and the homeless. You can see it in the way we treat the guy who comes up to us at Starbucks and asks for a couple dollars because his car is out of gas. We don't look at them as equals. They are now sub-standard humans and we don't have to pay them the same respect as other people.
If we would take a look at ourselves and be honest with ourselves we would realize that it wouldn't take much to put us in a situation where we needed someones help. We may have plenty right now, but that doesn't mean we will always have plenty. The Bible says, "He that gives to the poor lends to the Lord." (Prov. 19:17) If you aren't a Christian then living by what the Bible says doesn't matter to you. Just remember that there will be a day when you need a hand up, someone will have to come to help you. That won't make you less of a man/woman...it will just make you human.
"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." -Jesus
There were 7 of us downtown that night. We were outsiders. This was not our home, this was not where we "belonged." We came with cold water, some apples and a few pairs of shoes. It was the least we could do...literally, the least we could do. We took a couple hours out of our night to go spend some time with people who don't get a lot of personal attention.
Two of us decided to go see if we could find anyone else who might want a bottle of cold water while the rest of the group spent time talking to those few people who we found right when we arrived. On the walk I was talking to my friend. He was telling me about his time working for a homeless shelter. He spent over 3 years living and working in a homeless shelter. He wasn't getting paid, he had no other home, he had no other mode of transportation besides the vehicles that the shelter owned. He had volunteered to be homeless. That is not something that many people will do. He was explaining to me that he was just as homeless as anyone who stayed in his shelter while he was there. The thing of it is, he was no less of a man when he was there than he was right now. He has a home, he has a car, he has a job that pays him. Yet when he had none of those things, he was still the same man.
Earlier in the night he had said that people tie their worth to their possessions. Both Christians and non-Christians do the same thing. If we lose their "stuff" then WE are no longer worth as much. You can see it in how we talk about the poor and the homeless. You can see it in the way we treat the guy who comes up to us at Starbucks and asks for a couple dollars because his car is out of gas. We don't look at them as equals. They are now sub-standard humans and we don't have to pay them the same respect as other people.
If we would take a look at ourselves and be honest with ourselves we would realize that it wouldn't take much to put us in a situation where we needed someones help. We may have plenty right now, but that doesn't mean we will always have plenty. The Bible says, "He that gives to the poor lends to the Lord." (Prov. 19:17) If you aren't a Christian then living by what the Bible says doesn't matter to you. Just remember that there will be a day when you need a hand up, someone will have to come to help you. That won't make you less of a man/woman...it will just make you human.
"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." -Jesus
Saturday, July 24, 2010
It only matters if it happens to someone I know...
"The American response to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, demonstrated that large-scale evil and suffering usually remain distant from us.
In Sudan, millions, including children, have been murdered, raped, and enslaved. The 2004 Asian tsunami killed more than 280,000 people. Malaria causes more than two million fatalities annually, the majority of them African children. Around the world, some 26,500 children die every day; eighteen every minute.
The loss of American lives in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, numbered 2,973–horrible indeed, yet a small fraction of the terror and loss of life faced daily around the world. The death toll in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, for example, amounted to more than two World Trade Center disasters every day for one hundred days straight. Americans discovered in one day what much of the world already knew–violent death comes quickly, hits hard, and can be unspeakably dreadful." -Randy Alcorn from his book "If God is so Good"
In Sudan, millions, including children, have been murdered, raped, and enslaved. The 2004 Asian tsunami killed more than 280,000 people. Malaria causes more than two million fatalities annually, the majority of them African children. Around the world, some 26,500 children die every day; eighteen every minute.
The loss of American lives in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, numbered 2,973–horrible indeed, yet a small fraction of the terror and loss of life faced daily around the world. The death toll in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, for example, amounted to more than two World Trade Center disasters every day for one hundred days straight. Americans discovered in one day what much of the world already knew–violent death comes quickly, hits hard, and can be unspeakably dreadful." -Randy Alcorn from his book "If God is so Good"
People are worried about the economy right now. They aren't worried about the economy because they are really concerned for the people who don't have jobs at the moment. They are concerned because an unstable job market could cost them their job! When the housing market collapsed people were concerned. I talked to a lot of people about it. Almost all of them still had their job and were still able to make their house payment just fine. The problem was that now their house would be worth less money. They might not be able to refinance so that they could pay off their credit cards.
People are selfish. This is not a secret. It isn't something that we talk about very much because when we talk about it we have to take a look in the mirror. We don't like to look at ourselves and say WE are selfish.
The problem is that we truly are a selfish people in a country that fosters selfish attitudes.
This is something that has bothered me for a long time. I have done what I could, which to this point hasn't seemed like much, to get people to see that they are only living for themselves and their own desires. If what I am saying is not true then do me a favor. Everyone who is reading this right now, talk to all of your family and friends. Decide what your favorite charity is and instead of getting any birthday, anniversary, Christmas, Father's Day, Mother's Day...etc. presents, have them donate whatever money they would have spent on your gift to your favorite charity.
What? You don't like that idea? Why not? Why do you need more stuff? Why do you need extra things to go in your house when their are people who won't be alive tomorrow if they don't get help from someone? I have had people tell me that we shouldn't help those who won't help themselves. Then you pick a charity that only helps people who can't help themselves. Pick one that helps orphans in a third-world country. Pick one that helps villages get clean drinking water. I don't care who you want to help, I just wanted to show you that you are selfish to some degree.
Here is my dilemma in writing this post. Now this year for my birthday, I expect no gifts. I am going to spend the next couple of months coming up with what charity I would like to support. I will find one that is easy to donate to and that I believe in. I will have anyone who wants to get me anything (which now that I am an adult, the list is getting shorter every year) donate to that specific charity. I will have the person who draws my name this year for the family Christmas gift exchange donate money to a charity and not send me a gift card.
Why haven't I talked about things like this before? If this is truly something that bothers me then what has been holding me back? One reason is that it sounds self-righteous. It sounds like I am telling you that you are selfish and that I am not. That is simply not the case. I have never told anyone to donate money instead of send me a present. I might not be worried about "stuff" but I have not done all the good I could have done. I am starting right now. I am going to change some things about how casually I have lived my life up to this point.
If you are not ready to lay down your desire for things then that is something you have to live with. I'm not telling anyone what they have to do. I'm just saying that if we do nothing then we are selfish. If we don't change then we will never make a difference to people who need help.
Some of you who read this will be Christians, while I know some of you are not. Let me talk to the Christians first.
I do believe that as a Christian we should be more worried about our neighbor than we are about ourselves. I think we should give more, care more, show love more than anyone else. The problem is that I don't see it. I know there are the exceptions to the rule...but it is time to adjust the rule. The Bible says it is more blessed to give than to receive...but do we live that way? Do we live the picture we see of the church in Acts where it says that none of them considered anything to be their own and if someone had a need they would sell what they had and meet that need. Are we doing that today? Why not? We're selfish. Almost all of us are selfish to some degree. I was told that I had to start being nicer when I speak to people. I am challenging them too much and telling them that they aren't doing a good enough job. Well the way I see it, I am telling the truth. If you don't want to hear the truth then don't read what I have to say and don't come listen to me speak. If I don't challenge you then I don't really care about you.
Now to those of you who are not Christians. You may or may not care about what I think of you. Please know that I care about you. I care enough to say that I want you have a relationship with Jesus Christ. That being said I don't believe that only Christians need to give more. I believe that everyone should do more, I just expect more out of people who say they believe what I believe. If you don't want to give to anyone else, that is sad. Here is the thing though, I know some of you who read this really do care for people. I know you volunteer your time and donate your money. I just want to see it more. Not for my sake and not in the hope that one day you will earn your way into me thinking you are a good person. I really care for the people all over the world that are dying tonight because we in America didn't step up and do something about it. That is not a Christian/non-Christian issue. It is a rich/poor issue. It is a have/have-not issue. We are the rich, we are the one's who have. It is time to give something to those who so desperately need it.
Monday, July 19, 2010
What would you do for someone you don't know?
My question is what would you do to save a life? Maybe I am looking at this all wrong...and if I am I would like you to set me straight. I was in charge of organizing a blood drive last week. The Red Cross came and set up for it and their goal was 30 donors.
A little information they gave me (since I was the contact on our end of the blood drive) is that 97% of people will need to receive blood at some point in their life. Only 3% of people in Arkansas actually donate blood. Those stats are pretty crazy! I tried to share them with everyone I could and I was actually a bit surprised by how many people said they weren't going to donate. The question I asked almost everyone who said they weren't donating was what if it was someone in your own family that needed blood. Only 1 person said that even if it was their family they wouldn't donate. Everyone else who was eligable but wasn't going to donate said if their family needed a donation they would go and donate blood...but because it wasn't for their family they weren't going to donate.
Here is the part that bothered me the most. This blood drive took place at my church. All the people who said they weren't going to donate but if it was for their family they would donate...those people were all "Christians." I'm not exactly sure why that bothered me as much as it did. Maybe you don't like needles, maybe you have had a bad experience when you donated before. I don't know why you say you aren't going to donate. One donation can save up to three people!
I guess it was not the fact that people weren't too interested in donating blood that shocked me. It was how many would be willing to help if it was their family and yet they wouldn't if it was someone else. That goes against what I believe we should stand for as Christians.
I will say that according to the Red Cross rep churches are where they get most of their donations during the Summer months. Without churches having blood drives their would be an even greater shortage of blood. A lot of people aren't eligable for one reason or another. I'm not trying to talk bad about people who didn't donate. I was just surprised that if it was someone that mattered to them personally they would help...but if it isn't then they aren't going to give up an hour of their life. That doesn't seem right to me. Love your neighbor as yourself was the second most important commandment...if my memory serves me correct. Your neighbor is not just your family is it? Am I looking at this wrong? If you are truly that afraid of needles then that is one thing...but if you can get yourself hyped up enough to give blood for your family why won't you do that to save a life of someone who isn't part of your family.
I wouldn't mind hearing your thoughts. This is a very recent event (yesterday) so my emotions are a bit raw at the moment. Let me know if you agree or don't agree. Either way I am still of the opinion that if you would do it for your family then you should do it when it isn't your family. What if it was your blood that would save my life? My family is in WA, they aren't close enough to donate blood for me. Just a thought.
A little information they gave me (since I was the contact on our end of the blood drive) is that 97% of people will need to receive blood at some point in their life. Only 3% of people in Arkansas actually donate blood. Those stats are pretty crazy! I tried to share them with everyone I could and I was actually a bit surprised by how many people said they weren't going to donate. The question I asked almost everyone who said they weren't donating was what if it was someone in your own family that needed blood. Only 1 person said that even if it was their family they wouldn't donate. Everyone else who was eligable but wasn't going to donate said if their family needed a donation they would go and donate blood...but because it wasn't for their family they weren't going to donate.
Here is the part that bothered me the most. This blood drive took place at my church. All the people who said they weren't going to donate but if it was for their family they would donate...those people were all "Christians." I'm not exactly sure why that bothered me as much as it did. Maybe you don't like needles, maybe you have had a bad experience when you donated before. I don't know why you say you aren't going to donate. One donation can save up to three people!
I guess it was not the fact that people weren't too interested in donating blood that shocked me. It was how many would be willing to help if it was their family and yet they wouldn't if it was someone else. That goes against what I believe we should stand for as Christians.
I will say that according to the Red Cross rep churches are where they get most of their donations during the Summer months. Without churches having blood drives their would be an even greater shortage of blood. A lot of people aren't eligable for one reason or another. I'm not trying to talk bad about people who didn't donate. I was just surprised that if it was someone that mattered to them personally they would help...but if it isn't then they aren't going to give up an hour of their life. That doesn't seem right to me. Love your neighbor as yourself was the second most important commandment...if my memory serves me correct. Your neighbor is not just your family is it? Am I looking at this wrong? If you are truly that afraid of needles then that is one thing...but if you can get yourself hyped up enough to give blood for your family why won't you do that to save a life of someone who isn't part of your family.
I wouldn't mind hearing your thoughts. This is a very recent event (yesterday) so my emotions are a bit raw at the moment. Let me know if you agree or don't agree. Either way I am still of the opinion that if you would do it for your family then you should do it when it isn't your family. What if it was your blood that would save my life? My family is in WA, they aren't close enough to donate blood for me. Just a thought.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Crazy couple of weeks...
Have you ever felt like everything was falling down around you? Well the past couple of weeks has been that way for me...but probably not in the way that you are thinking.
My life is going great right now. I love my job. My needs are met. I am building new relationships. I am strengthening relationships I already had. So you might be asking what is falling down around me...let me explain.
People are what matter to me. Possessions, positions, money...nothing really matters to me but people. In the past few weeks I have had one person after another come to me looking for advice, help, comfort...and sometimes just someone who will listen.
I always try to be there for everyone that I can be and I will always continue to do that...at least that is my goal. It is just crazy how many people are going through so many struggles all at once! Maybe it is because I have been here long enough for people to get comfortable coming to me. Maybe there was this much stuff going on before and they didn't want to include me in their lives that much yet. I don't know, I just wish I could do more. I want to be able to help more situations...but I know that I am not the answer.
When people come to me for help, they should know I will point them back to the One who is the answer. I give scripture, I point them back to Jesus and love. I know it is the right thing to do and I really can't do anything else. If I don't believe that God is enough to take care of their problems than I am in the wrong "business!"
If you say you believe in Jesus and you say you believe in the Bible...then when you come to me you better expect that I will point you back that direction! If you don't believe in either Jesus or the Bible...the odds are you aren't coming to me for help.
I have said all I can say in every situation. I gave all the natural advice I could give. Now it is time to pray and trust God. Nothing else will do any good.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
My life is going great right now. I love my job. My needs are met. I am building new relationships. I am strengthening relationships I already had. So you might be asking what is falling down around me...let me explain.
People are what matter to me. Possessions, positions, money...nothing really matters to me but people. In the past few weeks I have had one person after another come to me looking for advice, help, comfort...and sometimes just someone who will listen.
I always try to be there for everyone that I can be and I will always continue to do that...at least that is my goal. It is just crazy how many people are going through so many struggles all at once! Maybe it is because I have been here long enough for people to get comfortable coming to me. Maybe there was this much stuff going on before and they didn't want to include me in their lives that much yet. I don't know, I just wish I could do more. I want to be able to help more situations...but I know that I am not the answer.
When people come to me for help, they should know I will point them back to the One who is the answer. I give scripture, I point them back to Jesus and love. I know it is the right thing to do and I really can't do anything else. If I don't believe that God is enough to take care of their problems than I am in the wrong "business!"
If you say you believe in Jesus and you say you believe in the Bible...then when you come to me you better expect that I will point you back that direction! If you don't believe in either Jesus or the Bible...the odds are you aren't coming to me for help.
I have said all I can say in every situation. I gave all the natural advice I could give. Now it is time to pray and trust God. Nothing else will do any good.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Monday, May 31, 2010
A quote made me think...
Love all, trust a few. Do wrong to none. - William Shakespeare
Is this a true picture of what we have been asked to do? Is "love all, trust a few..." truly the God kind of love?
I was discussing this subject just the other day. Well...not exactly this conversation but it was a conversation about both live and forgiveness.
The question was asked about people who have hurt you in the past, "How close do you let them get again? Do you open yourself up to get hurt again?" It is not something I have a clear answer on and I left that conversation with the agreement that it is a case by case situation.
We agreed that you have to forgive them, which means you can not hold what they did against them. You have to look at them as if they had never done anything wrong and never bring what they did in the past back up against them.
The tough part (as if that was "easy") was how close do you let them get again. If they pursue a relationship with you, do you allow it to happen even though they hurt you before? This is where we said you would have to look at the situation and see. Can you truly love and forgive someone from a distance...even if they want to get closer?
That is what is going through my head tonight. I need to go to sleep. I will come back to this subject at another time.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Is this a true picture of what we have been asked to do? Is "love all, trust a few..." truly the God kind of love?
I was discussing this subject just the other day. Well...not exactly this conversation but it was a conversation about both live and forgiveness.
The question was asked about people who have hurt you in the past, "How close do you let them get again? Do you open yourself up to get hurt again?" It is not something I have a clear answer on and I left that conversation with the agreement that it is a case by case situation.
We agreed that you have to forgive them, which means you can not hold what they did against them. You have to look at them as if they had never done anything wrong and never bring what they did in the past back up against them.
The tough part (as if that was "easy") was how close do you let them get again. If they pursue a relationship with you, do you allow it to happen even though they hurt you before? This is where we said you would have to look at the situation and see. Can you truly love and forgive someone from a distance...even if they want to get closer?
That is what is going through my head tonight. I need to go to sleep. I will come back to this subject at another time.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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