Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Sandy and the One's Left Behind

While watching on cable television today the aftermath of hurricane Sandy with all the devastation, all the damage, all the sand, all the water, the fire -  my heart hurt.  I was so thankful there wasn't greater loss of life largely due to all the warnings communicated by local, state and federal officials to leave the threatened areas, to evacuate, to get the hell out of town!  And then I thought, what about the poor and homeless?  Where did they go?  How would they leave?  How are they doing today?  Did they make it through and, does anybody even care?

Please keep my friends in your prayers, and think of practical ways you can help, either in the hard hit areas, or locally in your own town.

Peace,
Dennis

Monday, October 29, 2012

When One Member Suffers!

Okay, so I woke up this morning with a bad case of gout in my left foot big toe.  Now I don't know how many of my readers have ever experienced gout but I can tell you it is one painful malady!  They tell me it's the build up of uric acid in your system that settles in a joint (apparently the big toe is the most common) and it "crystallizes" making the pain sharp and intense!  It can swell and it can become warm to the touch and it will make you miserable!  Believe me, I now!

So all day, up to the present moment, I have been catering to, favoring my big toe.  My whole body (including my brain, my mind) has turned all its attention to my big toe.  As my big toe hurts, my whole being hurts!  My whole world hurts!  And I am doing everything I know to make the pain stop!

As I have been experiencing this entirely too much pain for such a small member of my body I was reminded of something (by luck or the Holy Spirit?) the Apostle Paul wrote in First Corinthians 12:1

"For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body though many are one body, so it is with Christ..."

and the beginning of verse 26,

"If one member suffers, all suffer together..."

Because of my one member - my big toe - suffering from gout, my entire body suffers together!

And this made me think of the suffering that goes on within the body of Jesus on this earth and how every member of the body of Jesus is necessary, valuable and important.  And when one member of the body suffers we all suffer.  Like the poor and homeless within the body of Jesus.  Yes, I know, I can hear some of you thinking, "Well, if they really were Christians they wouldn't be poor and homeless."

Well, I'm going to ignore such stupidity except to say that I have had the privilege of working with the poor and homeless for a long time and the truth is when I first started I thought I would evangelize, heal and save millions!  As it has turned out many of my homeless and poor friends have converted me.  I have learned so much and been inspired so often.

We, as the body of Jesus, need to do a much better job of catering to, favoring the suffering members among us by paying attention, getting to know, and loving them...just like Paul (and Jesus) told us.

Peace,
Dennis




Sunday, October 28, 2012

In a Weird Place

So, after almost 12 years of being employed as a counselor at one of the premier residential homeless programs in my area I find myself without employment due to a disagreement over an agency guideline.  Being without leverage or power in the face of a formidable non-profit corporation I was escorted out of  their employment with only a two week severance - conditioned on the promise of not suing and only saying nice things - and a clear conscience - the clear conscience being the of utmost importance.

I find myself in a weird place.  I mean at my age (60 years old), with a family, a mortgage, normal day to day financial obligations (although I need to tell you that I embraced a very simple way of living several years ago as a part of my Christian faith and as a result I am not in consumer debt of any kind) I could end up on the doorstep of that same residential homeless program!  God has such a sense of humor, doesn't he?

I'm serious about God's sense of humor!  For some time I have had this gnawing sense that what I was doing in my counseling as a part of the "getting out of homelessness and be like us" program was not truly dealing with the core of poverty or homelessness but instead only choosing to manage it.  Certainly important, but insufficient I have come to believe.

And so, I am beginning to consider a ministry of presence and pastoral care to my homeless friends.  Loving them instead of merely trying to "fix" them.  Establishing true relationships with them based on an authentic love of God and love of people.  I just think Jesus would not be a very effective social worker or therapist with the mandatory "professional distance" ethic and all.   I mean he was so up close and personal.  The Gospels show example after example of his loving care, not "professional distance."

Yes, I'm in a weird place with little money or know how as to how to proceed in such a ministry.  I can say I don't think I'll end up homeless due to a loving, faithful, hardworking and employed wife - and the safety net of food stamps and unemployment compensation provided by the government - without which sustainability right now would be indeed much more difficult!

Anyway,  I'm asking for your prayers, your input and any support (emotionally, spiritually, financially) you can offer as I consider this potentially heart-changing ministry to the poor and homeless.  I'll keep you in the loop.  Thanks for listening.

Peace,
Dennis