Open the door

Meet God where you are. In the here and now. In the messy, difficult thing we call life. Whether you are meeting him in your nicest clothes, in a church, with everything going right, or whether you are wearing the same t-shirt from a week ago, and you are sitting on the laundry room floor crying because the challenges in life have told you they are bigger than you can handle. Look up, be in the moment, and meet God where you are. He doesn't care what you look like or where you are, but he does care about you. He cares about all those burdens that have weighed you down to the ground, and he's standing by you ready to pick them up, and help you off the ground.

Society and the world we live in today makes this really hard to believe. It wants to tell you that only the righteous and the prudes can meet God. You like a drink or a smoke? Nope, better move on. God doesn't like those people. Ever done something you probably shouldn't have? Hah! God is TOTALLY done with you. Move along. All of these things are the things society and our world want us to think. Simply put, these things ARE NOT TRUE. Y'all, if we allow ourselves to believe that, we have profoundly misunderstood God, and his endless love for us. 

Here's the good news: God is in the shambles. He is in the midst of the messiness, and in the middle of crazy. He is in the here and now!! He isn't waiting for you to come to him perfectly and ask for help. He wants you to see him now, in the middle of the imperfection. If you think about it, that's where he's always been found. Whether it was eating with the tax collectors and prostitutes, or spending time with the lowliest of the low, he is found in the middle of the storm. And just like he can calm the stormy waters, he can also calm the stormy waters of our lives. We just have to let him. We have to invite him in. 

God is like a guest at our homes. He stands outside the door knocking softly, waiting for you to let him in. There is no handle on the outside of the door, so you have to let him in.Your house may be a mess, but he will come in and get to work helping you clean it. You may feel sad or depressed, but he will come in and hold you, pouring great joy and love into your heart. You may simply not want to let him in because its been too long since you last saw him. You may feel like you don't even know him anymore, but I assure you friend, he is not thinking that. He is waiting excitedly to greet an old friend, to embrace you and love you deeper than you've ever known. Meet God where you are. In the here and now, and in the messy, difficult thing we call life. Whether you are meeting him in your nicest clothes, in a church, with everything going right, or whether you are wearing the same t-shirt from a week ago, and you are sitting on the laundry room floor crying because the challenges in life have told you they are bigger than you can handle. He wants to help you, he wants to know you, and most importantly, he wants to love you, always.

So don't be afraid, go ahead and open the door, he's patiently waiting for you outside. Let God in, and just meet him where you are.

Season of Thankfulness

Hello Friends! I hope this finds you well, and you are spending this season enjoying time with loved ones. Throughout this season I challenge you to find small opportunities to be thankful and to give! Whether it's giving a smile to an elderly woman, or being thankful for something as simple as the sunrise, find the little things, and watch them transform into big things. Allow this season of thankfulness and giving to move you. It's easy to get caught up in the busyness and hustle and bustle, but just try and be present. Be present in each beautiful little moment.

Speaking of hustle and bustle, yesterday I found myself in HEB, with just about every other person in Houston. All around the store baskets were quickly being pushed around as people rushed passed each other trying to fulfill their grocery lists. Some people looked angry as they navigated through the basket traffic, and others didn't even bother to look up and acknowledge the people next to them. Baskets were filled to the brim with food of all sorts. The scanners echoed loudly throughout the check out lines. And yet, through all of this hustle and bustle, there was little excitement. People were rushed, stressed, and some down-right angry. I have to admit, I was one of them. I just needed to get my errands taken care of, and get back home to the next thing on my list. I made it to my car at the very back of the parking lot, slung my groceries in, then jumped in my seat to take a quick breather. I sat for a moment, then took off to accomplish the next thing on my list.

This morning, I decided I needed a little break from the rat race we call life. I headed down to L&F to see the people there. As I was walking up, I heard joyful voices, music, and lots of laughing. The smell of fried chicken hung in the air, and all around there were smiles! "Welcome!" An unfamiliar voice greeted me. Turns out today was an early Thanksgiving celebration. A local police officer and several ministries from his community got together to put the event on. Y'all, it was awesome! There was home cooking, a DJ, and best of all pure happiness. It looked like one big family reunion. Everyone was dancing and visiting, laughing and smiling. As I visited with several homeless people they couldn't help but express how happy and thankful they were. It's funny ya know, these people have no turkey dinner, no home, and some no family, yet here they were rejoicing and celebrating. As many got their plates, they took time to say grace, and give thanks for the food and fellowship. Today, under that roof, there was no division, just love and joy. People with plenty and people with nothing. Black, white, and brown. Religious, and not religious. Conservative and liberal. Yet instead of any negativity, the air was filled with joy, thankfulness, giving and of course that fried chicken smell! This was the kind of joy that could leave any heart filling so full.

Y'all the holidays can be hard. I get it. Whether it's the loss of someone, disagreements and division within families, the stress of hosting, or many other things. But this holiday season we have 2 choices. We can allow the busyness, and the stress to steal our joy. We can spend time frustrated, angry and ready for the holidays to end, or we can chose the opposite. You can choose joy. You can choose to be joyful and give thanks in the little things. Besides, if you are reading this, I bet you have a lot to be thankful for. This Holiday season you will have a roof to celebrate under, food to eat, and a bed to sleep in. Some don't even have that, yet they will be so joyful this season. You may find them on park benches or under bridges, but I guarantee you, you will find them telling you how blessed they are. They can find such blessing in their humble lives. Find the blessings in your life.

 This season give gifts! Give the gift of love. Give the gift of joy. See these aren't physical gifts. They don't cost you any money, yet these gifts are somehow always the most valuable and memorable. Allow yourself to live in the moment. Throughout this season I challenge you to find small opportunities to be thankful and to give! When you see the homeless person at a stoplight, give them a smile. When you wake up each morning be thankful for something as simple as the sunrise, find the little things, and watch them transform into big things. Allow this season of thankfulness and giving to move you. It's easy to get caught up in the busyness and hustle and bustle, but just try and be present. Be present in each beautiful little moment. Joy comes in many forms, and you never know if the moment you chose to be present and embrace the joy will be the moment you see the angels among us.

Matthew 25:35-40

The Hardest Battles

"Sometimes I wonder why God tries to give me more than I can handle. I've tried to do good, but living like I do now got me wondering if there's anything good left in life."

Hi there. I hope you're doing good. I'm humbled you've chosen to come here to read once more, and if this is your first time, welcome! Today's story really reminded me of the importance of knowing God is with you wherever you go and will never abandon you. It's a reminder to be courageous, and believe. It's a reminder to know that while the power of evil calls loudly, and hides under the glimmering veil of pleasure and amusement, God calls too. However, God calls us softly. He stands with open arms. There are no bells or whistles, and upon fist glance, it's easy to miss the call. But if you listen for just a second longer, you will hear one promises a moment of self-serving pleasure and a life time of emptiness and searching for the next moment of opportunity. While the other promises a life time of divine love, endless mercy, and fulfillment.

The other day, I saw a new face at Loaves and Fishes, and decided to go meet him. As I sat down with him I asked him his name. "My name B, Like A then the next letter B." B and I visited for a minute on the food, and the weather, and laughed as the pigeons stood around waiting to grab B's leftovers. As we continued to visit for a while, he looked at me and locked eye contact, "Can I ask you something," he said. I told him ask away, and with out skipping a beat he said, " Do you think God ever gives us more than we can handle." Whoa. That definitely caught me off guard. I thought to myself, how am I supposed to answer this?! As if he could read my mind he said, "Never mind, you don't have to answer, y'all church people always come down here telling' us it'll be ok and to pray but y'all just aint understand what we goin through." He started to stand up. I grabbed his hand and looked him in the eyes. "You're right. You are so right that we don't understand, but I want to. Will you stay and share your story with me." B looked at me, then looked around and with a sigh he sat down.

As soon as he sat down he said, "I want to tell you my story, but I just want to tell it, I don't want to talk about it, because I don't like to talk about it." He began slowly and softly, "I lived a good life before this, but then it happened and it made it hard for me to want to live like that. I lost my house in a fire." He stared off into the distance, as if he was far away, back in the moment it happened. Then he choked up, "I lost my family too." As soon as those words left his mouth, he looked at me, "Sometimes I wonder why God tries to give me more than I can handle. I've tried to do good, but living like I do now got me wondering if there's anything good left in life." I looked at him for several seconds before responding, "Ya know B, I think God gives the strongest people the hardest battles. I think he gives people battles they can't face on their own, but that doesn't mean they can't overcome them." He looked at me puzzled. "Have you ever heard the parable of the footprints in the sand?" I asked him. He shook his head no, and asked me to tell him. So I shared this with him. One time a man was walking along a beach, he got to the end, and looked back on his foot prints, all along the way there was two sets of prints. One was his and one was God's. However, the man became angry, he looked back on the hardest time in his life, and only saw one set of prints. He called out to God asking him where he was during that time, and wondering why God abandoned him in his hardest time. God answered him in a quiet voice, "My son, there is only one set of prints there, because in your hardest times, when you couldn't go on, I carried you. Those were my footprints."

"But why does he give us those battles that we can't face without him?" B asked. Again, I was at a loss for how to answer that. "I don't think we will ever know B, but my guess is so we will learn to trust him. If he didn't give us a reason to trust him, would we ever truly be able to trust?" B looked up and with the saddest eyes and said, "Do you think God loves someone like me? I've done so many bad things." My heart broke for him. "Sometime it just seem easier to do whatever than do good things." B said. "Oh B, you are so loved, and nothing you do can ever be too great for God. He will never stop loving you!"  B and I stood up, we embraced in the tightest hug, and shared several more words and a prayer before I left.

My friends, we are all B's in life. How often do we look at life's challenges and wonder if it is more than we can handle. How often do we look at the footprints in the sand and angrily ask God why he abandoned us, before bothering to see those were his foot prints. How often do we chose the path of ease and pleasure, only to be left feeling empty in no time. Only to be left wondering, "Why did I do that?" "What's wrong with me." "Does God hate me?" "I've had such a bad past and done so much, no one can forgive me, especially not God." The list could go on and on. The fact of the matter is simple. God will not abandon you, and when the going gets tough, call to him, and he will carry you! You've never gone too far down the road to turn around.

God calls us softly. He stands with open arms. There is no bells or whistles, and upon fist glance, it's easy to miss the call. But if you listen for just a second longer, you will hear he promises a life time of divine love, endless mercy, and fulfillment.

Who would've thought it would take a homeless man struggling with his own faith to be a reminder of these things, but God works in mysterious ways. If we listen quietly, you will hear him calling, and along the way you may just meet some of the angels among us.

Joyful!

Hello,

This isn't an actual story, I just wanted to share in my joyfulness! This week at Loaves and Fishes, I saw several youth organizations there helping, including some of my own students!! Seeing young people serve brings me so much joy!! The future of our church lies with them, and what better way to teach them about their faith than by living it, and serving the least among us!!

In the mean time, here are some of my favorite quotes.

The Cross You Bear

I sat in my kitchen this morning watching the rain pour down the windows, and the more it rained, the more I thought about my homeless friends. "What are they doing on a day like today?" "Do they have to live in wet clothes until it finally stops raining?" "How unfair." "Why them?" Thoughts swirled through my mind, but I didn't want to think of them suffering while I sat in a warm, dry house. I picked up a book, and no sooner had I started reading it than I came across this "Don't be afraid. There must be a cross, there must be suffering, a clear sign that Jesus has drawn you so close to his heart that he can share his suffering with you. Without God, we can only spread pain and suffering around us." - St. Teresa of Calcutta

As I read that over and over, I thought of the world. How often do we look, but do not see? How often do we listen but do not hear? If only we would look upon each other with love and see beyond the surface. If only we could see the crosses each other bears. You see, every single one of us has a cross which we bear. Some bear it silently, while others share theirs. Some crosses are huge and heavy, while others are much smaller, and light, but regardless we all bear a cross.

The more I thought about that the more I realized that through these crosses and the hard times or sufferings we face in life, we encounter Christ in the most intimate and beautiful way. When we suffer or go through hard times is when we seem to hit our knees. When the cross becomes too heavy, we cry out, desperate for help, whether human or divine. But how much easier and more fulfilling would life be if we asked Christ to walk with us every step of the way instead of just when the cross got heavy? How much easier and lighter would our crosses be if we called for the divine help no man can provide, and realized that through our suffering was glory! Because through that suffering, you spent a few minutes of intimate time in prayer, or in thought about Christ; Time you otherwise wouldn't have spent.

That led me to my next thought. The faithfulness of the poor. My homeless friends are poor in earthly belongings only. I thought of the faith they shared proudly, and their desire to grow in Christ. Certainly, they have large crosses to bear, more so than most of us can imagine, but those are the people who call on God! I thought back to all the times they wanted to pray together, to all the times they asked for prayer, and most especially, to all the times they reminded me of how good God is. They are not afraid to cry out asking him to help bear their burdens.

Why are we afraid to ask for help? Are we too proud? Are we worried he will say no? Do we even want the help? Well, let me tell you what, our God is great!! He will never leave you alone to carry your own cross. In fact, he will carry you when the cross gets too heavy.

I guess my point is this: So often we spend time self-pitying, worrying, and feeling weighed down by the cross. Not seeing other people's crosses, and honestly not caring about them. Who among us doesn't feel those things? However, instead of letting the weight of the cross to crush us, we have to turn to the one who carried the ultimate cross. We have to invite and allow Christ to help us carry our cross. It's scary, and it's hard, because we like to be in control and we don't want to bruise our pride, but in these times, we have to let go, and let God. It is in these times when you can feel the love and mercy of Christ in it's simplest form. Besides, he carried the cross of salvation, who better to help you carry yours?

I've been searching for you...

Hi again, I wanted to share a quick story with you.

Today as the lunch line began, I found my old friend, Benjamin, coming out of the line. (He's featured in an earlier post if you're curious). His eyes were cast down, and he was walking slowly. I called out to him, and he lifted his head. As our eyes met, a smile streched across his face, and he excitedly walked over to me. "Oh my friend, I haven't seen you in weeks, and I've been searching for you." I assured him that while I could not be there every day, I was always there in spirit, and he was in my prayers everyday. He smiled his goofy grin with a mouthful of food, and nodded "That is very good." He said.

My heart overflowed, but then it got me thinking. How often in life are we the Benjamin's? I don't know how often I find myself asking God "Where have you been? I haven't seen you in weeks, I've been searching for you." Whether we realize it or not, we as humans search for positivity, for happiness, and ultimately for Christ. So often we spend our whole life searching, that we forget to lift our eyes up from the ground, and if only we did we would see the beauty that lays in front of us. Just like Benjamin is always in my prayers, so too is God always in our midst. So next time we find ourselves searching, let's lift our heads and our hearts, and open our ears. Maybe that will be the time we hear God saying "Oh my friend, I've been searching for you, where have you been?" Maybe the one time we lift our eyes, we will see the angels among us.

Praying with the faithful

Hello, I hope this finds you doing well. Life sure does get busy quick, and makes it hard to find time to serve and to write, but I am so excited to be able to sit down and share my heart with you today!

For the past few weeks, I haven't been able to find time to see my homeless friends. I found myself thinking of them often, but also found myself in a bit of a funk. I felt more negative than usual, and disconnected from God. This weekend, I decided I needed to make it happen, and I was going to find time to go see them one way or another.

Since I couldn't make it Saturday, I decided I would go today. I haven't been to Loaves and Fishes on a Sunday before, but I'd heard they had mass, so I went to check it out. As soon as I walked in I got emotional. They had transformed what was normally a small dining hall into seating for about 50. The hall was bustling with boy scouts, and other groups that had come to join the mass, and volunteer at lunch after. Looking out the window, was a line quickly forming of mostly men, and a few women, eagerly waiting to get in. Some were dirty, most came already sweaty from the heat outside, they all had the few things they owned with them, but they all came with the biggest of smiles.

As they began to enter THEY greeted us!! They came in and shared hugs, and handshakes as they filled the seats one by one. A few minutes later, Catholic mass began. Have you ever been to a church where it felt like everyone was trying to be perfect, and judging you on your every move? Yeah, me too. Well this my friends, couldn't have been more different. Everyone in there was so genuienly happy to see each other, and so welcoming. Throughout the mass you would hear "Amens" and "Praise God" as different parts of the mass spoke to the people. I have been in many Catholic churches were I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit, but I have been to very few where I felt it as strong as I did today. During the sign of peace, the homeless walked all over the hall greeting their friends excitedly. Yall, I am telling you, if more people were excited to be at church on Sunday's like some of these people were, the world would be a very different place.

By the end of mass, I'm pretty sure I had gone through an entire pack of kleenex, because the emotion and joy of witnessing Christ at work in these people's hearts was overwhelming! Next up was lunch time.

As soon as the mass ended lunch began to be served. I headed out to my favorite place outside and waited for them to come. Within minutes, the familiar faces began to pour onto the patio. Once again,  I got emotional as the hugs started. You never realize how much you mean to these people until you don't go everyday, but more importantly, I never realized just how much they meant to me. It took me a minute to realize my heart had been aching for the past several weeks to see these people; to see my friends.


I was reminded throughout lunch of the great glory of our God. These people, who literally have nothing were quick to offer me their water, their dessert, or their seat. It made me wonder, could I share like that if I were in their shoes? Do I share like that now, having more than enough? Then I realized, once again, that was the beauty of God working through these faithful people.

We shared the beauty of the mass, a meal, many laughs & countless hugs. My heart is so full today, and I am reminded that indeed, there is always angels among us.