God has humbled me yet another time. Calvary Chapel La Mesa recently put on an outreach to our community in La Mesa Ca. We cooked food had worship time and a great sermon. There is a homeless man that comes to the Tue night Men's study at 6:30 pm at the church 7525 El Cajon Blvd. He lives out in a field near the 99 cent store. He signed up to bring the cheese for the outreach. I was worried. On Tue afternoon he comes into the church praising God and says to me "I knew God would do it!" "I knew He would come through" said Bebe as he likes to call himself. "Bebe, what did God do for you?" I asked him. "I have been praying that God would help me get money so that I could buy the cheese for the outreach" Bebe blurted out as he was in constant dancing mode. I'm still worried. I'm thinking to myself "Did he go dumpster diving for it?" or maybe its been sitting out in the sun all day.
Now this is where pastor Dean has to step back a bit open his mouth wide and prepare to receive a huge piece of humble pie. When Bebe handed me the cheese in the store bag it was still cold. You see God answered Bebe's prayer and provided an old car battery for him to recycle earning the $7.00 with which to buy the cheese. He was so excited because he had no money when he signed up for the outreach, remember this guy is homeless.
The next day I was able to sort of redeem myself. As I got to church early I noticed two pairs of feet in the church's stairwell. I unlocked the church, sat down in my office, which incidentally doubles as the copy room, when God spoke to me. I didn't hear a voice but He spoke to my heart and He told me to make the two pairs of feet breakfast. So I scrambled up some eggs, cooked hot dogs and put a bun on a plate and covered it with with tin foil.
As I approach the couple I woke them from a sound sleep. "Excuse me" I said timidly "Are you guys homeless?" which was probably the stupidest thing to say to someone sleeping outside in a stairwell. They said they were sorry to be there and that they meant no trouble and that they would leave.
I told them I was not kicking them out but I had made breakfast for them. Their eyes widened and they were very surprised. I was able to pray with them and let them use the bathroom at the church. Ed and Joanna were 20 yrs old and 18 yrs old respectively. They were out of luck living out on the street. Ed said he was just looking for a safe place to stay when he remembered going to Calvary Chapel La Mesa as a small child. They ate their food, gathered their belongings and we prayed and said our good byes. As I finished praying with them the church and school staff began to arrive.
"Dean, please don't encourage people to sleep here." said someone from the church staff. My heart broke as I remembered how Jesus must have felt as He tried to teach people to love others. You know, I do understand we need to be carefull with people and keep the law using our discernment but Jesus said in Matt 25 if you feed someone in His name your feeding Him! If you clothe someone in His name you are clothing Him. What is more important?
People let us indeed start helping others and begin meeting needs. Let us pick up our own crosses, the crosses of self-less-ness, and love like Jesus commanded us to do. You can fulfill this commission just by giving someone a handshake, hug or opening the door for someone. We need community right more than ever. It might just be you and your wife sleeping in the stairwell. We are all just two pay checks from sleeping on the streets.
I will always remember Bebe,the homeless guy, who had more faith than I and brought the cheese. And the yougn couple who only wanted to be safe from a storm of life. But most of all, I think what burns in my mind is the reminder of our hard stony hearts. Where we are ultimately more concerned with the color of the carpet and getting it dirty than a life saved from the fires of hell. Let your material things burn. Remember the only thing you will take to heaven with you are the relationships you make here on earth.
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