Food For Life

Last night I and a few of my really good friends had the great privilege of checking out Food For Life – a ministry to the homeless here in Greenville. Every Tuesday some loving Christ-followers take their time, money, and energy to feed the poor and homeless in word and deed. I think about 80 people come each week to receive some shelter, some encouragement from the Word of God, and a good hot meal. I went mostly to meet somebody and hear their story. That person was Charles.

Charles is 48, and he has only been growing his beard for 7 months! He wants to shave it because he thinks it makes him look old. I told him it makes him look young and awesome. His beard is alive. I was jealous, and he knew it.

You couldn’t help but like Charles. He was super easy to talk to, but you could see in his eyes that he was hurting. I asked him if he had a job. He said he did landscaping to earn a little money. If he earned enough he would spend a night in a motel, otherwise he slept wherever he could – sometimes a church, sometimes not. But he didn’t mind the cold, he said. I talked with Charles for about a half hour. He had recently been falsely accused, arrested, and put in prison. He was released after a few days in jail after the false accusation was realized. He told me story after story of different injustices done to him. He has been given time limits for eating at McDonald’s and Hardee’s, and if he goes over his time limit he will be arrested for trespassing. He has been told he cannot sit on a public bench or he will be arrested for trespassing. It made me pretty mad hearing all this. He said he is working with my friend Paul to try to get a lawyer and resolve these injustices.

As I was talking to Charles I was struck by how casually he spoke of his trials. He didn’t even seem angry. But he was obviously hurt. Almost hopeless. Right on the verge of just giving up. And I saw myself in him. He had a New Testament that he said he always carries with him, and he told me he’d like to say that he follows and trusts Christ. He admitted he messes up a lot. I told him I did too. I told Charles that I was going away for a few weeks, but that I really wanted to see him again in January and find out how he was doing. He said he had a bad feeling that he might be dead by then. He thinks if he tells the truth about his false accusations, someone is going to kill him. And from the stories he told me, I knew he might be right. It broke my heart. He let me pray for him. And he ate up the promises of Scripture as the Spirit brought to my mind the words to say before we parted. He would almost finish my sentences as I quoted verses, saying excitedly, “Yeah. I remember that.”  Jesus says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” “If God is for you, who can be against you.” Each verse we finished in unison. I encouraged him to read John’s gospel, and as I opened his raggedy Bible it opened right to the chapter with the heading – Jesus’ arrest. Then it hit me like a flood. “Jesus was falsely accused, Charles! Jesus was arrested! Jesus was the perfect Son of God and he was killed! And on the cross he was forsaken by the Father so you wouldn’t have to be!” Charles eyes began to tear up. “Jesus was homeless”, he said quietly to himself as he pondered the thought. “Jesus was killed”, he said staring into the distance. “I see what you’re sayin’ man. I see what your sayin’. Some people have even called me Jesus”, he said with a big smile on his face. “You have a lot in common him, man. And Jesus has a lot in common with you. Keep trusting him, man. Jesus told the thief on the cross who asked for mercy that today he would be with him in Paradise. Even if they kill you, you’ve still got Jesus and heaven. What can they really take from you?!” “I’ve never thought of it like that before, man.” We embraced, and I told him I would see him in January.

I pray that I do.

“This World”

There’s tarnish on the golden rule
And I wanna jump from this ship of fools
Show me a place where hope is young
And a people who aren’t afraid to love

This world has nothing for me and this world has everything
All that I could want and nothing that I need

This world is making me drunk on the spirits of fear.
So when he says who will go, I am nowhere near.

And the least of these look like criminals to me
So I leave Christ on the street

This world has held my hand and has led me into intolerance
But now I’m waking up, but now I’m breaking up
But now I’m making up for lost time

-Caedmon’s Call
(listen on the player)