Worth 30 minutes of your time.
Worth the time to watch
Worth 30 minutes of your time.
OSS Finlay Rhapsodies
Yesterday we were treated to some musical entertainment!
We were finishing serving the last of the food and cleaning up when the the acapello strains of Amazing Grace could be heard. What a treat!
We told the guys they sounded great. One said, when God blesses you with a gift, you need to use it! Amen to that!
I asked if they had a name for their group yet.
They came up with one on the spot:
Finlay Rhapsodies
So I’d like to introduce to you: Willie, James & Willie, the Finlay Rhapsodies!
We were blessed to hear them at their opening performance! Craig, thinking quickly, caught some of the final chords on his phone. (I’m was hoping that I could attach the file for you to enjoy here, but sorry, right now I’m not purchasing the space upgrade to do that.)
I heard them saying “you never know who you bless with your music” and then discussing what they might sing later.
I’m certainly anxious to hear what they will sing next. 🙂
OSS Kitchen Pondering
Well the beans are soaking here for tomorrow’s New Orleans style red beans and rice to take down to the Park, and I know that Keith and Rebecca have either finished their grocery shopping or getting what they need for spaghetti , plus Carolyn’s probably has her cornbread finished already. There are others that help with food, paper products, monetary donations, clothing, hygiene supplies, and their help is greatly appreciated! However, my mind is in tomorrow’s “kitchen duty” right now so please don’t be offended if your name(s) weren’t mentioned!
Lately, we have been serving @ 150 people at the Park. I know that because I tried to take some sort of count last week to verify what we thought we have been serving.
That was interesting…….Count while trying to talk to people.
I came up with a system. That is if you want to call it a system…….well, at least I am. I’d mentally count off 10 people, visually try to take a “snap shot” of that person, and take an empty cup and put it in a pile. Then when that person came up to the drink station, I’d start over again. (It worked for the most part.) 🙂 So, allowing for the occasional person that wandered in and out, and also allowing for the times that I would talk and forget to count, it put us around 145-150.
Originally we thought that when the Transitions facility opened that we would see less traffic. So far that has not been the case. The other thing we noticed that while we do see some familiar faces that occasionally stop by and visit, for the most part we are serving a completely different group of people. Some have been homeless for a while, we just haven’t seen them before, and some are recently homeless. They are just beginning to slowly talk to us.
I can give you some update on a few I’ve mentioned in the past. Chuck has had some recent tests done on a tumor on his knee that he is awaiting results on. He’s moved into the next stage of Transitions housing and seems to be doing well there. Sophie & Trey stop by once in a while to say hello they tell us that they want to make sure that if they are okay for that day food-wise, they let someone else that might be hungry get their share. John pretty much does the same thing.
I’m not exactly sure how many of the guys are staying up at Transitions and still stop down and visit us on Mondays. We enjoy seeing them, it gives us a chance to catch up on each others lives. They still need our help as far as we’re concerned. The lunch they get at Transitions is a light lunch if they eat there, and they enjoy the home-cooked food we serve. Personally, we think it’s the company! 🙂
I was surprised to hear one of the guys say that some of the area churches were actually telling them that they couldn’t eat at their “soup kitchens” if they were staying at Transitions because they weren’t considered “homeless” anymore. I thought that was really a sad statement. The whole point of the facility was to give the homeless a place to get on their feet and to assist them as a community along with the support of the community.
I don’t find that being Biblical. Just saying.
Maybe that’s why it seems to be taking a little longer to build up trust. I don’t know.
Then I’m reminded I don’t need to know the “why’s” and the “what not’s”.
I just need to do what I can.
Show His love.
So, soak on beans……
Rants and Raves
I was thinking about having some new categories to blog about…well, one that I’ve wanted to add presented itself today.
Hence, introducing “Rants and Raves” category.
I wish I could say it was a Rave.
I logged into Facebook to check out some things, and noticed that yet again, they had to change things up.
Seriously Facebook? This is getting to be extremely annoying! I am seriously thinking about your usefulness.
There are a lot of thoughts running around on that hamster wheel in my head right now, so I may post more on this topic when I jump off.
I can’t be the only person that finds this irritating.
Oh, I can “hear” you now…those of you thinking….”wait a minute, her previous post was all about loving people, blah, blah, blah….”
Yeah, you are correct. So how can I rant? Well, you can love a person and not agree or condone what they do or say.
Jesus does it for us all the time.
And how thankful I am He does.
Well look-ie here…this turned into a Rave after all!
What does love mean to me?
The Daily Post sent this topic suggestion on August 5 which I knew I wanted to blog about as soon as I saw it.
Unfortunately, that thought became a quick note on a scrap of paper which then had to be found, deciphered, memory jogged, thoughts organized…well you get the drift…..
I have been reading a book entitled Sandpaper People by Mary Southerland and been thinking and pondering on this verse for over a month now:
Isaiah 43:4
“Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life.”
They are powerful love words. Think about God saying that to you:
You are precious. Your are valued and honored to me. I love you. I care for you so much that I would give up other people for you, that’s how much I love you.
Makes you feel good inside to feel loved. When we love others it can be easy to feel and show love. We are asked to “love our neighbor as ourselves”. Ah, now sometimes that can be a little harder. Particularly when your feelings are hurt.
Part of loving people is accepting them “just as they are”. I know I want to be loved “just as I am”.
Back to the verse:
“Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life.”
Love to me means taking the “you” and replacing it with the name of “someone else”.
Sometimes that can be easy. Sometimes that is can be soooo hard.
Think about it.
Stop right now and re-read that verse below and put in the name of the person that you might be angry mildly annoyed with, put in the image of the person today who irritated you while you were driving, put in the face of the rude sales person, or remember it applies to you and me when, quite frankly we have been a pain in the butt.
Replace that “blank line” with the name of someone I love, I like, I enjoy, someone I’m feeling good about – easy. Replace that “blank line” with the name of someone who has hurt me, or someone I encounter during the day that I find abrasive, or as Mary calls “sandpaper” – that makes it a little harder.
And, being honest here, sometimes the ones I love, like and enjoy I have to consciously make a choice to put their name there when they’ve hurt my feelings.
Since _________ are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love ________, I will give men in exchange for ___________, and people in exchange for ___________ life.
So, how did you do?
It isn’t always easy is it?
I have to remind myself that I am always screwing up. I’m always making mistakes. That is our human nature. So usually, when it can be hard for me to put someone’s name in that blank line, I’m usually reminded of my shortcomings. My mental conversation usually ends up with the “duh” moment for me of “oh, okay I’m like that too in such and such” (confession), seeking His forgiveness, and then giving forgiveness. And, having total disclosure here, sometimes that takes me awhile, depending on the size of my hurt. Sometimes my past hurts come back to haunt me and I have to go through the process all over again. Sigh.
Forgiveness isn’t a feeling; it is a choice. A choice between God and us.
God’s greatest gift and our deepest need is forgiveness.
We usually stop forgiving when we run out of patience, however, there should be no limits to our forgiveness, because there are no limits to the forgiveness of God. We can stop forgiving when we run out of His forgiveness.
“God made you alive in Christ. He forgave all our sins. He canceled the record that contained the charges against us. He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ’s cross”
Colossians 2:13-14
Love. Forgiveness given freely as a gift on the cross. A choice.
Love.
And, in God’s great sense of humor, during the whole lengthy time it took for me to post, leave it sit in blog draft mode for edit, He reminded me that I neglect to read that verse and put my own name there sometimes. I mean I read the word “you” and don’t even think about me sometimes. Talk about a “duh”.
At my Women’s Group we have visualized the conversations and humorous expressions that Jesus may have with us over some of the “duh” moments one day. Of course they are all delivered in a loving way.
Keep reminding me Lord.
Yeah, that’s what loves means to me. 🙂
OSS Update
My apologies for not blogging about our friends at the Park for a while. Rest assured, there has been someone there every week faithfully serving.
We have settled into serving on Mondays. It works for planning, and it also works for letting everyone know when we will be there. Of course that pretty much means we are also there for every Holiday, but that hasn’t seemed to bother those participating, because pretty much the way we see it, the people on the street are still hungry whether it is a Holiday or not.
We have seen some shift in traffic as the new Transitions facility opened at the end of June. There were some Mondays when foot traffic was around 50-60, but this week it swelled back up to around 100 again.
Some of the regulars that we know have moved into Transitions, however still visit us on Monday so we do get a chance to see them and talk with them. It is nice to connect with them.
Here is a quick update on some of the people I’ve talked about in past posts:
Chuck has been in and out of the hospital a few times over the last few months. Once for an infection and once because of someone throwing a brick at the back of his head while he was walking on the streets. Yes, a brick. We didn’t see him for a while, and didn’t know what had happened. Continue to pray for healing for him as currently he is recuperating from an infection, while also doing some work.
Levi has moved on and as far as we know has found a job a state away. Brenda and Zion have also found their way back to family in another state. Ed, we believe is working.
This past Monday there was a young family with small children. Craig tried to talk with them, however they were a little quiet. I did notice that some of the “regular” guys were talking with them.
Usually they will look out for each other. Please continue to pray for their safety and that our little band of helpers can continue to be Jesus with skin on to those in need.
Just As I Am 