The reason most of us don’t sell all we have to follow Jesus is we don’t believe Jesus would take care of us if we did.
And so we live lives of ‘quiet desperation’ of same old, same old - where the scenery may change but we don’t. Our lives become defined by the answers we’ve settled on, rather than provoked by the questions which challenge the way we do church, the way we do business, the way we do life.
Against the current of the ‘status quo’ are Matt and Blaise, two people whose passion to follow Jesus has made them ‘irresistible revolutionaries’ affecting everyone they encounter.
Not long ago, Matt came to me and asked - ‘what would your life look like if you were to drop everything and do what the Lord wanted you to do?’
The question both scared and excited me. Much like it would have both scared and excited the rich young ruler who approached Jesus and asked ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’
As Matt and Blaise head out to discover God’s will and provision now that they’ve sold everything, they travel with much more than their two girls and whatever goods they take with them.
They take the aspirations of people anxious to break the mold of how life is done.
They take the hopes and dreams of those who dare to ask - ‘what would life look like were we to sell everything to follow Jesus?’
Most of us are too fearful to do it ourselves. We want to go but we need a forerunner, a pioneer, someone to bring back the assurance that the radical living God calls us to is good despite its challenges. God is still able to provide even when we have nothing.
For their courage and their child-likeness, life for Matt and Blaise will never again be ‘same old, same old’.
What it will be, I have no idea but certain phrases come to mind:
No one who has left home ... for the sake of the kingdom of God, will fail to receive as many times as much in this age and in the age to come, eternal life. (Luke 18.29)
Anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. (Luke 18:17)
Friday, July 30, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
Cold Calling
Use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
Luke 16:9
In business, building a client base is essential. If you are just starting out with no clients, then ‘cold calling’ becomes a fact of business life - the practice of going door to door to see if anyone is interested in what you’re selling.
Today I decided to do a little cold calling among the homeless. My ‘client’ base has shrunk and I am desperate for some new friends, people who can bring the richness and poverty of the life they know into the comfortable confines I live in. It tends to make my life less comfy, add an edge or two where I need it, and take the blinders off my worldview. The wealthy need all the help we can get!
So I put 3 fives in my wallet and rode my bike looking for friends. I found one at the corner of Queen and Yonge, who didn’t have his hand out but saw the earnestness in my eyes and greeted me accordingly.
The other 2 fives went to a man who called out to me ‘brother’ as I rode by. I rode on without stopping until I realized the magnitude of his greeting. What homeless stranger would call me brother except the Lord himself?
I went back to see who it was.
It was Calvin who introduced himself as ‘Allan’s nephew’.
After some exchange I remembered who Allan and Calvin were. I had met them two weeks earlier when they together with Evelyn (see July 14th entry) were trying to figure out their next move.
This morning Calvin is with his nephew, Jeff, who looked like he could use the extra five I gave Calvin. Homelessness is 'in the family'.
3 blocks east of there I met Albert, roaming through traffic desperate to find someone who’d give him $2. I stopped, told him I was good for the two.
He threw his arms around my neck and planted a kiss on the top of my bicycle helmet, rubbing his unshaven face against my cheek.
I’ve been in the sales business for a long time, but rarely have I been received like that!
Luke 16:9
In business, building a client base is essential. If you are just starting out with no clients, then ‘cold calling’ becomes a fact of business life - the practice of going door to door to see if anyone is interested in what you’re selling.
Today I decided to do a little cold calling among the homeless. My ‘client’ base has shrunk and I am desperate for some new friends, people who can bring the richness and poverty of the life they know into the comfortable confines I live in. It tends to make my life less comfy, add an edge or two where I need it, and take the blinders off my worldview. The wealthy need all the help we can get!
So I put 3 fives in my wallet and rode my bike looking for friends. I found one at the corner of Queen and Yonge, who didn’t have his hand out but saw the earnestness in my eyes and greeted me accordingly.
The other 2 fives went to a man who called out to me ‘brother’ as I rode by. I rode on without stopping until I realized the magnitude of his greeting. What homeless stranger would call me brother except the Lord himself?
I went back to see who it was.
It was Calvin who introduced himself as ‘Allan’s nephew’.
After some exchange I remembered who Allan and Calvin were. I had met them two weeks earlier when they together with Evelyn (see July 14th entry) were trying to figure out their next move.
This morning Calvin is with his nephew, Jeff, who looked like he could use the extra five I gave Calvin. Homelessness is 'in the family'.
3 blocks east of there I met Albert, roaming through traffic desperate to find someone who’d give him $2. I stopped, told him I was good for the two.
He threw his arms around my neck and planted a kiss on the top of my bicycle helmet, rubbing his unshaven face against my cheek.
I’ve been in the sales business for a long time, but rarely have I been received like that!
Slow Down
Slow down, you move too fast,
you have to make the morning last
Paul Simon
Read a book too quickly and you miss the point of the story
Work through a puzzle too quickly and the mystery remains unsolved
Walk past a homeless person too quickly and you miss the point of his story and your place in it
You miss the puzzle explaining why he is where he is and the mystery of how your humanity is linked to his.
you have to make the morning last
Paul Simon
Read a book too quickly and you miss the point of the story
Work through a puzzle too quickly and the mystery remains unsolved
Walk past a homeless person too quickly and you miss the point of his story and your place in it
You miss the puzzle explaining why he is where he is and the mystery of how your humanity is linked to his.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
With the way the world is, what are the faithful to do?
Sitting in a circle with people whose vocation is working with homeless and marginalized individuals, I realize in hearing their stories how different the world is for the ‘have nots’.
Did you know for instance that the police, if they suspect a street person of having drugs will strip search him and if they find nothing but discover the bike he’s riding is without a bell, will issue him a $82 ticket which if he can’t pay can land him in jail?
I have been riding a bike for years without a bell and haven’t been stopped once.
That seems like a small difference but when you extend it to every area of life - from the place where one lives, to the food one eats, to the deals that are done, to how safe the street is, to the judgments one receives in a court of law - the life of the marginalized contrasted against the life of the privileged is black against white, struggle against ease, famine against plenty, indignity against humane.
Which has the faithful asking themselves "what are we to do? Given the way the world is to those exiled - from justice, from a good meal, from a decent place to stay - what are we to do?"
As it is with all things essential, the ancient texts still speak:
He has gathered the exiles from many lands.
Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless.
Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died.
‘Lord, help!’ they cried in their trouble
and he rescued them from their distress.
When they decreased in number and become impoverished
through oppression, trouble and sorrow,
the Lord pours contempt on their princes,
causing them to wander in trackless wastelands.
But he rescues the poor from trouble
and increases their families like flocks of sheep.
The godly will see these things and be glad,
while the wicked are struck silent.
Those who are wise will take this all to heart;
they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.
verses from Psalm 107
We know what God is doing.
This is what we are to do.
Did you know for instance that the police, if they suspect a street person of having drugs will strip search him and if they find nothing but discover the bike he’s riding is without a bell, will issue him a $82 ticket which if he can’t pay can land him in jail?
I have been riding a bike for years without a bell and haven’t been stopped once.
That seems like a small difference but when you extend it to every area of life - from the place where one lives, to the food one eats, to the deals that are done, to how safe the street is, to the judgments one receives in a court of law - the life of the marginalized contrasted against the life of the privileged is black against white, struggle against ease, famine against plenty, indignity against humane.
Which has the faithful asking themselves "what are we to do? Given the way the world is to those exiled - from justice, from a good meal, from a decent place to stay - what are we to do?"
As it is with all things essential, the ancient texts still speak:
He has gathered the exiles from many lands.
Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless.
Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died.
‘Lord, help!’ they cried in their trouble
and he rescued them from their distress.
When they decreased in number and become impoverished
through oppression, trouble and sorrow,
the Lord pours contempt on their princes,
causing them to wander in trackless wastelands.
But he rescues the poor from trouble
and increases their families like flocks of sheep.
The godly will see these things and be glad,
while the wicked are struck silent.
Those who are wise will take this all to heart;
they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.
verses from Psalm 107
We know what God is doing.
This is what we are to do.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Community
We may wonder whom can we love and serve?
Where is the face of God to who we can pray?
The answer is simple. That naked one.
That lonely one. That unwanted one is our
brother and our sister. If we have no peace,
it is because we have forgotten
that we belong to each other.
Anonymous Prayer in use at All Saints Anglican
In various drop-ins for homeless people throughout the city, there are the regulars, those who go by names like 'Pops' and ''Frenchie' and 'the Chief'. They are the resident 'Hall of Famers', those who in making the drop-in their home do whatever it takes to make the place home for others who drop in. Quietly and not so quietly.
At All Saints Anglican, there is 'The Love Doctor', 'The Push-Up King', and Bill - the latter being someone who quietly infuses character and care into its space. He brings donuts, plays the tambourine, does art, paints...ever-giving, irrepressible to the core, tattooed.
Every time I see him I know where I am. I don't have to say a thing, nor does he, but when he's there, I'm home.
Where is the face of God to who we can pray?
The answer is simple. That naked one.
That lonely one. That unwanted one is our
brother and our sister. If we have no peace,
it is because we have forgotten
that we belong to each other.
Anonymous Prayer in use at All Saints Anglican
In various drop-ins for homeless people throughout the city, there are the regulars, those who go by names like 'Pops' and ''Frenchie' and 'the Chief'. They are the resident 'Hall of Famers', those who in making the drop-in their home do whatever it takes to make the place home for others who drop in. Quietly and not so quietly.
At All Saints Anglican, there is 'The Love Doctor', 'The Push-Up King', and Bill - the latter being someone who quietly infuses character and care into its space. He brings donuts, plays the tambourine, does art, paints...ever-giving, irrepressible to the core, tattooed.
Every time I see him I know where I am. I don't have to say a thing, nor does he, but when he's there, I'm home.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Poor Proverbs
A person who oppresses the poor is like a pounding rain that destroys the crops - 28:3
Evil people don't understand justice but those who follow the Lord understand it completely - 28:5
Better to be poor and honest than to be dishonest and rich - 28:6
Income from charging high interest rates will end up in the pocket of someone who is kind to the poor - 28:8
Rich people may think they are wise, but a poor person with discernment can see right through them - 28:11
A wicked ruler is as dangerous to the poor as a roaring lion or an attacking bear - 28:15
Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to poverty will be cursed - 28:27
The godly care about the rights of the poor; the wicked don't care at all - 29:7
The poor and oppressor have this in common - the Lord gives sight to the eyes of both - 29:13
If a king judges the poor fairly, his throne will last forever - 29:14
Many seek the ruler's favor, but justice comes from the Lord - 29:26
Evil people don't understand justice but those who follow the Lord understand it completely - 28:5
Better to be poor and honest than to be dishonest and rich - 28:6
Income from charging high interest rates will end up in the pocket of someone who is kind to the poor - 28:8
Rich people may think they are wise, but a poor person with discernment can see right through them - 28:11
A wicked ruler is as dangerous to the poor as a roaring lion or an attacking bear - 28:15
Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to poverty will be cursed - 28:27
The godly care about the rights of the poor; the wicked don't care at all - 29:7
The poor and oppressor have this in common - the Lord gives sight to the eyes of both - 29:13
If a king judges the poor fairly, his throne will last forever - 29:14
Many seek the ruler's favor, but justice comes from the Lord - 29:26
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Timing is everything
When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, "would you like to get well?"
"I can't, sir," the sick man said, "for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me." John 6:6,7
Evelyn, Allan and Calvin.
Sounds like a law firm, but in this instance a threesome who between them have lived more than 20 years on the street. I had seen Evelyn and Allan six months ago at the corner of Adelaide and Victoria Streets, they in from Niagara Falls spending the afternoon panhandling and greeting old friends. At the time they had found room in a cheap motel near the Falls but eventually had to move when they could no longer pay the rent.
Now the three were meeting across from City Hall comparing notes of how close they were to finding accommodation here. All three of them had their own connections within the City and the ODSP offices. Evelyn seemingly was the closest to landing her own place.
But timing is everything.
Evelyn asked to use my cell phone and within 4 minutes she and Allan had left voice mail messages for several different City of Toronto ‘Housing Connection’ staff.
On a first come, first serve basis, the challenge for homeless people is to connect to their worker when accommodation becomes available. With no fixed address or phone number, immediate contact with the homeless is rarely possible, and too often when places become available they get taken by someone else. For homeless people it's like a lottery, trying to contact their worker at just the right time in the faint hope a room might be available.
I have another friend who after 6 hours of interviews by both medical and housing personnel was approved for the ‘At Home/Chez Soi’ project, a federally funded homelessness initiative to involve nearly 2300 Canadians living with homelessness and mental illness. (see www.mentalhealthcommission.ca)
At the time he was approved, he was told within days he would have his own place to live. That was 5 weeks ago.
Speaking this morning with the person in charge of finding him a place, she informed me the problem was a lack of supply. "As soon as a place becomes available, it gets taken by someone else."
"I can't, sir," the sick man said, "for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me." John 6:6,7
Evelyn, Allan and Calvin.
Sounds like a law firm, but in this instance a threesome who between them have lived more than 20 years on the street. I had seen Evelyn and Allan six months ago at the corner of Adelaide and Victoria Streets, they in from Niagara Falls spending the afternoon panhandling and greeting old friends. At the time they had found room in a cheap motel near the Falls but eventually had to move when they could no longer pay the rent.
Now the three were meeting across from City Hall comparing notes of how close they were to finding accommodation here. All three of them had their own connections within the City and the ODSP offices. Evelyn seemingly was the closest to landing her own place.
But timing is everything.
Evelyn asked to use my cell phone and within 4 minutes she and Allan had left voice mail messages for several different City of Toronto ‘Housing Connection’ staff.
On a first come, first serve basis, the challenge for homeless people is to connect to their worker when accommodation becomes available. With no fixed address or phone number, immediate contact with the homeless is rarely possible, and too often when places become available they get taken by someone else. For homeless people it's like a lottery, trying to contact their worker at just the right time in the faint hope a room might be available.
I have another friend who after 6 hours of interviews by both medical and housing personnel was approved for the ‘At Home/Chez Soi’ project, a federally funded homelessness initiative to involve nearly 2300 Canadians living with homelessness and mental illness. (see www.mentalhealthcommission.ca)
At the time he was approved, he was told within days he would have his own place to live. That was 5 weeks ago.
Speaking this morning with the person in charge of finding him a place, she informed me the problem was a lack of supply. "As soon as a place becomes available, it gets taken by someone else."
Monday, July 12, 2010
Shopping Carts
Watch out!
Be on your guard against all kinds of greed...life does not consist in the abundance of one’s possessions. Luke 12:15
We forge the chains we wear in life.
Charles Dickens
Two blocks from Toronto General Hospital was a homeless man, bearded, dressed for winter, pushing all his possessions in a shopping cart from No Frills. Bent over by the 30 degree heat and the weight of all he had, I stopped to say hello. But he ignored me, probably thinking I was more interested in him as a spectacle, than a person for whom life is hard.
Taking out my camera phone to photograph him I retracted. The photo would be one more theft for someone already robbed of most everything, including a normal life.
But the visual stuck with me.
We have this notion that to be free is not to be in debt. Conversely, to be in debt is to not be free...as though our freedom hinges on whether we’re in debt or not rather than with the possessions themselves.
But for this man pushing his possessions in a shopping cart, indebtedness is not the issue. His possessions are his burden. He has to push them everywhere he goes. The only freedom I could see for him is if he were to push his shopping cart over a cliff and do his best to live without it.
But what about us who have homes rather than shopping carts to store our possessions? How free are we? Especially those of us for whom it would take more than a hundred shopping carts to hold all that we own?
Be on your guard against all kinds of greed...life does not consist in the abundance of one’s possessions. Luke 12:15
We forge the chains we wear in life.
Charles Dickens
Two blocks from Toronto General Hospital was a homeless man, bearded, dressed for winter, pushing all his possessions in a shopping cart from No Frills. Bent over by the 30 degree heat and the weight of all he had, I stopped to say hello. But he ignored me, probably thinking I was more interested in him as a spectacle, than a person for whom life is hard.
Taking out my camera phone to photograph him I retracted. The photo would be one more theft for someone already robbed of most everything, including a normal life.
But the visual stuck with me.
We have this notion that to be free is not to be in debt. Conversely, to be in debt is to not be free...as though our freedom hinges on whether we’re in debt or not rather than with the possessions themselves.
But for this man pushing his possessions in a shopping cart, indebtedness is not the issue. His possessions are his burden. He has to push them everywhere he goes. The only freedom I could see for him is if he were to push his shopping cart over a cliff and do his best to live without it.
But what about us who have homes rather than shopping carts to store our possessions? How free are we? Especially those of us for whom it would take more than a hundred shopping carts to hold all that we own?
Friday, July 9, 2010
Opportunity Lost
Even the hotheads will be full of sense and understanding.
Those who stammer will speak out plainly. Isaiah 32:4
A billion dollars of ideas in my head and no chance to put them to work.
Robert R.
The one thing homeless people want more than anything else is opportunity. They want the opportunity to be heard, to be employed, to have occasion to make public the gift uniquely theirs.
Robert R. has schizophrenia. As does John, as does Donny, as did John Thoms - all street people who for some period in their lives have been homeless and misunderstood. They've hurt others but never with intent. They couldn’t help themselves. Ill and disconnected, they have known huge gaps in their lives when nobody wanted to hear what they had to say. To care was too costly.
But among Robert, Donny and the two Johns are plays never written, inventions never realized, opportunities lost that had they not been would have made our world a more sane, humane place.
Most of us hold within ourselves some idea of what earth would look like were heaven to materialize here. The more homeless people I meet, the more I think heaven here is where the mute teach, the blind paint and the homeless have opportunity.
Those who stammer will speak out plainly. Isaiah 32:4
A billion dollars of ideas in my head and no chance to put them to work.
Robert R.
The one thing homeless people want more than anything else is opportunity. They want the opportunity to be heard, to be employed, to have occasion to make public the gift uniquely theirs.
Robert R. has schizophrenia. As does John, as does Donny, as did John Thoms - all street people who for some period in their lives have been homeless and misunderstood. They've hurt others but never with intent. They couldn’t help themselves. Ill and disconnected, they have known huge gaps in their lives when nobody wanted to hear what they had to say. To care was too costly.
But among Robert, Donny and the two Johns are plays never written, inventions never realized, opportunities lost that had they not been would have made our world a more sane, humane place.
Most of us hold within ourselves some idea of what earth would look like were heaven to materialize here. The more homeless people I meet, the more I think heaven here is where the mute teach, the blind paint and the homeless have opportunity.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
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