As temperatures dip and snow falls,
I remember before You,
O God,
those who have no homes –
Precious ones of Your creation who are forced to scramble to find shelter and warmth.
O God, have mercy.
Send resources and people into their lives.
But,
may weather not be the only reason I remember those who are homeless,
rather,
may they always be on my heart,
leading me to search for ways to show mercy and compassion
in practical ways.
May I never turn a blind eye or a deaf ear.
May I never dismiss them as someone else’s problem.
May I never judge them as lazy, irresponsible or as troublemakers.
O God,
transform my heart that I may have a heart for
PEOPLE,
who happen to find themselves homeless.
Transform my heart to love and care
for Your children.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen.
Homelessness Sucks
Gordon ~ Homelessness Sucks
We met Gordon recently.
I don’t know his story other than he’s a black man who is homeless in Sumner, WA. My family and I were in town for an event when we saw him sitting on a downtown bench with his stuff. We all felt the God nudge so we stopped the car. We just needed to do something. In the back of my car are these bags…
These bags came from the brain and heart of my 5-year-old daughter. She wanted to do something to help people who find themselves homeless and so she came up with this. We are incredibly proud of her. So my wife and I helped her put these together and now the two of us have these in our vehicles. We are currently in the process of adding to these bags and now others in my congregation want to help too. To God be the glory.
Anyway, we stopped and interrupted our evening activities to meet Gordon. My 4-year-old son wanted to get out with me so we grabbed a bag and walked across the street. I introduced the two of us to Gordon and shook his hand. Gordon’s eyes lit up as he smiled and introduced himself to us. We chatted for a bit as I handed him the above bag. Gordon thanked me and my son and we parted ways.
And now…
…my thoughts and prayers continue to be with Gordon. I wrote about Sofia’s story recently and I wish I knew Gordon’s story. So many regrets with my encounter with Gordon. I wish I had taken more time to listen but maybe God is teaching me. Maybe each and every encounter is one more step in my education and discipleship. I don’t know. What I do know is that I haven’t forgotten about Gordon; I can still see his face in my brain. And that’s good. I have a feeling that when the next opportunity comes around God will nudge me more.
God help me. God help us.
I/we have much to learn.
Remember Gordon and join me in praying for him. I/you don’t know his story, but God does. And God willing, I will see Gordon again so I can learn more of his story.
So, remember and pray. Learn and grow. Respond and act. To God be the glory.
The Pastor -|—
The Heart of a Pastor 