"...whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." - John 4:14 KJV
The Living Water Minute is an e-journal of our homeless ministry, faithfully kept by Ryan George, one of our directors. The original intent of the Living Water Minute was to be a regular e-mail communication from our ministry's leadership to our volunteers. But since it gives any reader a clear idea of what our Homeless Ministry does, we thought it would be a good idea to publish some highlights here on our website so that people can get an inside view of the work we do for the glory of God, and in Jesus' Name.
Ryan has been away at seminary since summer 2006, so journal entries have not been recorded since then. But the regular homeless outreaches continue unabated and our ministry's dedicated volunteers continue to serve the homeless in Washington DC.
Click here if you plan on being a volunteer, or would like to learn more about our regular homeless outreach.
Interested in volunteering? Send us email
if you would like to volunteer, or to subscribe to our updates.
To make a donation, click here.
A big change in Big Frank (04/09/06)
Philip sings a song about the Lord (03/26/06)
The "widow's mite" of Xavier, a homeless man rich in faith (02/26/06)
Ken's answered prayer, and Jimmy's story (02/12/06)
A poem about our Lord written by a homeless man (01/29/06)
Randy is doing well in North Carolina—thanks for your prayers (01/08/06)
Dozens of homemade quilts for the homeless (12/18/05)
The ways of a man are before the eyes of the LORD (12/04/05)
Thanksgiving feast (11/20/05)
A broken and contrite heart God will not despise (11/06/05)
Victorious in spiritual war (10/30/05)
Homeless men help a stranded woman to get home (10/23/05)
Blankets and shoes for everyone (10/16/05)
Spiritual food (10/09/05)
The difference between perfect justice and perfect grace (09/25/05)
Ye cannot serve God and mammon (09/18/05)
September 11 (09/11/05)
The born-again gypsy (08/28/05)
Changed lives (08/21/05)
Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God - 1 Corinthians 10:31 (08/14/05)
Rodney needs your prayers (08/07/05)
Shepherd's Pie (07/31/05)
Pray for Randy (07/24/05)
The heat's on (07/17/05)
A work in progress (07/10/05)
Mighty works for the Lord (07/03/05)
All are one in Christ Jesus - Galatians 3:28 (06/26/05)
Thankful to wake up each day (06/19/05)
Fields ripe for harvest! - John 4:35 (06/12/05)
David turns 180-degrees for the better (06/05/05)
A calming Psalm (05/22/05)
Repentance proven by deeds (05/15/05)
We witness the work of our Lord (05/08/05)
The Gospel is preached on May Day (05/01/05)
Homeless are hungry—for the Word (04/24/05)
200 meals are served (04/17/05)
The homeless open their Bibles wide (04/10/05)
Homeless men rejoice, and repent, on Resurrection Day (03/27/05)
Time well-spent with "the least of these My brethren" (03/20/05)
The one Gospel in which we stand, by which we are saved (03/13/05)
A delicious dessert buffet (03/06/05)
Bread from Heaven for the homeless (02/27/05)
What is truth? - John 18:38 (02/20/05)
Man does not live on bread alone (02/13/05)
The Good LORD delivers sleeping bags to the men who need them (02/06/05)
A rough start, but a blessed outreach in the snow (01/30/05)
Let us rejoice and be glad this day (01/23/05)
Abundance exceeding all that we ask or think! (01/16/05)
The fierce cold of winter settles in the park (01/09/05)
Demolishing a stronghold of sin and sadness in the inner city (01/02/05)
Many servants from far and wide gather in the park (12/19/04)
Miracles of loaves and fishes (12/12/04)
Scattering seed (12/05/04)
Thanksgiving feast in the park (11/21/04)
Kevin "threw in the towel" and surrendered to the LORD (11/14/04)
Bible study in the park (10/31/04)
The Father knows that you need these things (10/24/04)
The soul is the target of the Thief (10/17/04)
Workers in His harvest field (10/10/04)
Record-breaking day: God's overwhelming provision (10/03/04)
Pleasant surprises (09/19/04)
A difficult day (09/12/04)
Declared to be the Son of God by His resurrection (09/05/04)
God's justice and love are reconciled on the Cross (08/29/04)
How faithful the LORD is (08/15/04)
"The man with the red hat" talks peaceably with Joe (08/08/04)
Spiritual food gives life to the soul (08/01/04)
Rejection of Esau (07/25/04)
The first to arrive today came in Jesus' name (07/18/04)
Resist temptation and await the Blessed Hope (07/11/04)
A very rainy 4th of July (07/04/04)
Message about the Great Banquet (06/27/04)
Introducing the Living Water Minute (06/06/04)
We began with Ron preaching through large sections of the book of Acts. Ron’s first point was that Peter and John’s ministry was offensive to the religious elite notbecause they were helping the poor, working miracles, teaching philosophy or even referencing God: what angered the religious leaders was the apostles’ use of the name of Jesus as they engaged in these activities. At one point, after the apostles were arrested for preaching in the name of Jesus, the word of God says that the rulers, elders and scribes “called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus” (Acts 4:18). Later, when they were arrested again for preaching in the name of Jesus, the rulers, elders and scribes said to them again, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name?” (Acts 5:28). Indeed, the word of God contains this clear direction for all Christians: “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17). This gets at the heart of why we have always been intent on distributing food and clothing in the name of Christ, with a standing cross in our midst, His name on our lips, and His Gospel in our message—so that He gets all the credit and the glory. Ron’s second point was just as important. He noted that the Apostles and many who came after them through the centuries have not only publicly proclaimed the most sacred and powerful truths of the word of God to all who will listen, but they did it even when it might cost them their lives. Ron’s point was that true Christianity does not harbor the “secret wisdom” or “secret gospels” that are coming into public awareness once again these days. Simply put, Ron warned everyone in the park of anyone who comes to them with “secret wisdom” especially when such wisdom regards the Lord Jesus Christ, for they are antichrists (i.e., devils). From the beginning, the true Gospel of Jesus Christ—the only way of salvation revealed to us in the sacred text of the sixty-six books of the Bible—has been subjected to the following command of Christ: “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops” (Matt 10:27).
Brian and Renee Thomas served a delicious lunch of Americanized goulash. Ruth brought a hot vegetable medley for a side and others brought desserts and drinks. Still others brought clothing to be distributed to the homeless. Many were fed and clothed today in Jesus’ name. We praise God for His continued provision of food and clothing.
Big Frank [who is often a trouble-maker at our street outreaches] was in a totally different mindset on Sunday. He was quite calm and self-controlled. He was suffering from a bad toothache and an ear ache. The pain seemed to humble him greatly. He really seems to have no one in the city. I pray for God to show him mercy and to heal him in the name of Christ, and that the Lord would lead him to others who would show him mercy.
The atmosphere was quite serene today as there was a sense of relief today that winter may have finally passed for now and more warm days are in store for the “least of these” on the streets. This will be my last “Living Water Minute” for awhile. My family and I are moving to California at the end of the month so that I can attend seminary.
I preached a message regarding the greatest threats to the Christian churches: false teachers. Citing passages like Jude v4, 2 Peter 2:1, Acts 20:29-32 and the words of our Master to “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves” (Matt 7:15), I reminded listeners that the greatest threats to the Christian churches are uniformly described in the New Testament, over and over again, as those who will profess to be Christians and dwell in the churches (i.e., they will be dressed as sheep) yet secretly introduce heresies into the churches unnoticed by many. As the Apostle Peter said, “There will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies.” These servants of Satan will seize upon the same ignoble covert tactics of warfare seized upon by the terrorists of our day—however, these servants of Satan are spiritual terrorists who masquerade as citizens of heaven with Bibles and fine-sounding “statements of faith” in hand, not as the temporal terrorists of our day who masquerade as American citizens with the Koran in hand. Christians need to be on their greatest guard against the spiritual terrorists. If Christ and His Apostles are our guide, those who would kill the body and those who are publicly and overtly non-Christian do not pose a serious threat to the spiritual health of the Church; battles against such as these are brushfires outside the city walls of churches that distract the watchmen from the “Trojan horse” within. I concluded with the Apostle Paul’s words, “Test everything; hold fast what is good” (2 Thes 5:21).
After I finished speaking, a multitude of old and new co-laborers gathered and efficiently served a lunch of meatballs, pasta and homemade cookies. We also were able to distribute many bags of clothing and shoes to the homeless. These supplies just continue to show up at each outreach from a variety of sources.
At one point, a man who was listening to me speak approached me after the outreach had been completed. His name was Phillip. He told me that he had been affected by the word of God that I spoke. He then proceeded to tell me his testimony including his conversion in his mid-twenties and the Gospel singing ministry that ensued. He said with clear sorrow in his eyes that he had backslidden since his mother died seven years ago; however, it was so obvious that he had a contrite heart and missed the Lord and His service to the Lord. He painted a vivid picture of backsliding when he said that after his mom died, he did not even give thanks for his food before meals for almost a year and a half. We prayed with him, and after lifting our bowed heads, we found a little Hispanic lady standing among us. She asked for prayer, for Psalm 23. After praying that over her, Phillip burst out in song praising the Lord in English then reaching for her hands, he sang to her about the Lord in Spanish! We pray that this incident would be the beginning of the Lord’s restoration of Phillip.
Lastly, we said goodbye to a faithful co-laborer yesterday, Jerri Plemmons. She has tirelessly and fearlessly worked the mission field at McPherson Square park for many years now, but the Lord has called her to Richardson, Texas, to continue her work for the U.S. Postal Service and, more importantly, to hopefully engage in prison ministry bringing mercy and the hope of forgiveness and eternal life in Jesus Christ to the “least of these” in prison. We pray that the Lord will prosper Jerri’s ministry in Texas for His namesake and for her good. We thank God for her help in this little ministry.
While the temperatures were frigid, the Christian fellowship was warm from the start. We began when our brother in Christ Hamed proclaimed the word of God. Hamed was delivered by God many years ago from the religion of Islam, which is a religion with many lies, the worst of which are that Jesus Christ is not the Son of God and was not crucified. Years ago, by grace, through faith, Hamed rejected these wicked lies and received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Oh that many more Muslims around the world would come to a saving faith in the grace of God through Jesus Christ!
A new married couples fellowship group served piping hot lasagna, fruit and rolls. We also served hot chocolate. All who were hungry were fed. We then distributed clothing of all sorts.
I have several stories that show us how faithful and merciful God is to those who call on His name. First, I got to talking to Mortin, who has been a regular homeless participant in the outreaches. He was hanging out well past the end of the outreach and seemed joyful. I asked him what was going on. He immediately told me how over the past several weeks he has stopped alcohol and drugs and has gotten a job so that he can provide for his basic needs. He attributed all of this to the Lord. He said that he had confessed his sins to God and through Bible study and hearing the word of God preached he was delivered from his sins. He told of how he bought a couple of beers soon after he was delivered and after taking one sip, he concluded that he had no desire to take another and gave it away. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Second, we met a man named Xavier, who was recently made homeless through a series of difficult circumstances in his life. What was most interesting about Xavier is how he essentially preached a sermon every time he opened his mouth. Apparently, he has taught the word of Christ to others in his lifetime. I don’t think I’ve met another person in the park so filled with faith and trusting in Christ. At one point, he told us how someone gave him money for transportation to a job that he just got, but that he soon found someone else that he thought needed it more than him and he gave it all to this other person. Amazing! This is yet someone else we have met on the street who has the faith and love of God like the widow who gave her two mites (Mark 12:42). He said he loves to talk about God, which was evident from our conversation with him. “Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and hears of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?” (James 2:5).
We had a blessed day of ministry. Actually, we came very close to canceling the outreach due to the 12+ inches of snow that fell in this area. However, a combination of a few rays of sun, the confidence of the Midwesterners who were tasked with bringing lunch and our blessed memory of the last outreach that took place in the midst of piles of snow drove us into the city to serve the King of kings.
We served a lunch of hot sloppy joes, green beans and apples provided by a group of first-time co-laborers. Ruth and Micah brought hot chocolate. Others brought bottled water, which is critical in cold conditions since the homeless forget that they need water and can easily become dehydrated. We then distributed several bags of clothing of unknown origin. We had so many co-laborers yesterday (15 maybe) that it is impossible to guess who brought these clothes.
At one point, Ken, our long-time friend from Cambodia, pulled me aside to tell me some good news. It has been many years since I have seen him this excited and desirous of talking with depression being his standard countenance. He proceeded to tell me that he had a good job interview several days ago as a “houseman” at a local hotel. He was surprised because he had spent several weeks applying for jobs all around the city without getting any calls back or interviews. Further, many of the job applications were difficult to complete. Not so with this job application. He said he was able to complete it with ease and just about five minutes later, they called him back in for an interview, which went very well. He said that unlike previous times, the answers to the interviewer’s questions came effortlessly. I told him this seemed like a great blessing from God. Then he proceeded to tell me that unlike the other times, this time he had prayed to God just before he started completing the application. He was convinced that the blessings were an answer to his prayer. Now, I’ve never heard Ken say anything to lead me to believe that he prays to God or even knows God. This is the first time! Not only that, but he offered up to us that he has been praying to God before he goes to sleep at night. After knowing Ken for upwards of five years and never seeing or hearing any sign of a relationship with God, it was a great blessing to hear this testimony. I pray that he would continue to learn and walk in the truth, even unto salvation through Jesus Christ the Lord.
People often wonder how homeless become homeless. Yesterday, I heard yet another unique story of how one man became homeless. His name is Jimmy and he’s from Pittsburgh. Apparently, his house burned down and his fourth child is only three months old and has already had multiple operations in a children’s hospital in Pittsburgh. Through all of this, he was forced to drive to DC to find good work to support his family under these trying circumstances. He is sleeping out of his car. As of yesterday, he had finally gotten a Federal scale job and was now hoping to move his family from Pittsburgh to find a home in one of the distant, more affordable suburbs.
Later, I met a homeless man who pulled me aside not to ask for money or even prayer, but to ask my advice on how he could transport some of his clothes to those in the park. Somehow, he had been blessed with more clothes than he needed and had three bags at a friend’s house by RFK stadium. I found myself asking him several times whether he was actually homeless, and he answered several times in the affirmative. He stays at nearby Franklin Shelter. He said that he loves to help and that if he ever has the means, he wants to build and operate a homeless shelter. He reminded me of the widow who gave her two mites to the work of God!
“Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?” (James 2:5). “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:25). “Give me neither poverty nor riches—feed me with the food allotted to me; lest I be full and deny You, and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’” (Proverbs 30:8-9).
I thank the Lord that we did not cancel the outreach.
Upon entering the park, many smiling faces greeted us. Many gave us a hard time about being absent the last two weeks, but were obviously happy to see us, as if they missed us.
I preached a message from the text, “Fools mock sin, but among the upright there is favor” (Proverbs 14:9). I spent most of the sermon dealing with the first half of this passage, as I see the mockery of sin as a cancer in our society. I pointed out that it is foolish to mock sin because sin is the cause of all the death and destruction around us and, moreover, sin is the cause of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, as He bore the wrath of God due men and women for their sins so that they might be forgiven and assured of eternal life. I concluded by pointing to the wise approach to sin exemplified in Psalm 51, in which David, in the wake of his adultery, says “the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise” (v.17). When the wise observe sin in themselves, they do not mock it or glory in their shame, rather, they sorrow over it and turn from it to Jesus Christ, so that “among the upright there is favor”. When the wise see sin in others, rather than mock it with the world, they expose it as Christ did (John 7:7), and they mourn over it as Christ mourned over Jerusalem, the inhabitants of which would murder Him (Luke 19:41-44). I trust that God’s word will not return void.
We served a lunch of French fries, homemade meatballs and vegetables. There were also assorted sweets and hot chocolate and various drinks. I would estimate that upwards of 100 passed through the lunch line. We also were able to distribute clothing that filled many bags and that came from unannounced sources, though I think Tom Malloy was behind much of it.
I had several fascinating conversations today, one of which was discouraging and two others were encouraging. The discouraging conversation was with a man I’ve never met before who seemed to be a believer for the first ten minutes of conversation or so. He quoted passages form the Bible and was making all sorts of observations and applications of Scripture that were correct; that is until he quoted from the Aquarian Gospel and the Koran saying that these texts are “bibles” too. What scared me about this man was that he knew so much about true Christianity, yet was quoting from these other demon-inspired texts and, moreover, was living amongst our homeless friends whose salvation we pray for regularly. I am reminded of Paul’s words to the Ephesian elders before he left the infant church at Ephesus, “For I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves” (Ephesians 20:29). I pray that our friends are able to defend themselves with the full amour of God (Ephesians 6).
The second conversation was brief. I had retrieved a Bible for a man who had just gotten out of an intensive care unit at a local hospital for various ailments relating to alcohol abuse. However, I was intercepted by Hammond, a long-time acquaintance in the park who regularly has attended our outreaches. He was dressed well and had the smell of cologne. He said he was doing better these days. Then he asked if the Bible was available. Never to turn down such a request, I gave it to him. I asked him if he had a plan for how he would read it and he said he would start with Job, but I was able to persuade him to read the gospel of John. He was glad to have a Bible, which made me glad (of course).
I then got another Bible and went to talk to the fellow from the ICU. He said Jesus was his Lord and Savior and that Christ’s death is the sacrifice for his sins. He was counting on the fact that Jesus looks at a heart of faith and contrition rather than all of his drunkenness and sin. He told me he had not had a drink in three weeks and was thankful for that. Then he told me about a poem he wrote about Christ. I had to write it down since he never learned to write very well. The poem went like this:
Today I went into prison where I looked upon anguish and strife,To my amazement, this man illustrated not only my sermon but many other theological truths that are missing or distorted in many learned circles today. This simple, illiterate man glorified God. God only knows how many others have had such an encounter with this man. He said he wrote it and memorized it many years ago. I’m reminded that God specializes in calling men like this to glorify His name. “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised. . . that no flesh should glory in His presence” (1 Corinthians 1:26-27, 29).
but the message I learned from a prisoner there I’ll take with me the rest of my life.
He said he was contented in paying society’s due.
It’s easy to render to Caesar, he said, when you have the Master with you.
Though I’ve seen his anger fly out of hand for he was just human you see.
Then he asked both offended and God to forgive, unashamed when bending his knee.
Today I went into a prison when I saw to my disbelief
the face of my Lord and Savior worn on the face of a thief.
Ron preached a sermon on the meaning of repentance given to us in the sacred text of the Bible. He used a well-known illustration in the story of “Tookie” Williams, the founder of an infamous Los Angeles gang who was recently executed as punishment for his commission of multiple murders. Ron asserted that the media and the lawyers of Mr. Williams, among others, insisted on a steady refrain that Mr. Williams was both innocent and redeemed, that Mr. Williams was innocent and had repented. Ron brought our attention to the impossibility of a man being both innocent and redeemed, for anyone who is innocent need not be redeemed, and anyone who repented and was redeemed no longer has the option to claim innocence. Ron’s point reminded us all how godless people will often take sacred words from the Bible and reinvent them to suit their own sinful means. This was the case here, and sadly, according to Ron, some Christians were duped into believing that they were seeing a story of true redemption when they saw terms like “repentance” being thrown around. Ron cited a key passage on this matter from the Bible, 2 Corinthians 7:10, which reads “Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted, but the sorrow of the world produces death.” Mr. William’s sorrow was worldly, for it included an apology (i.e., a defense) that said “I didn’t do it.” So much of what is held out as godly sorrow leading to repentance today is actually worldly sorrow, for it includes an excuse or a defense coupled with a superficial confession.
As God’s providence would have it, Jerri Plemmons happened to have Bible tracts with her describing the godly repentance of David Berkowitz, the infamous “Son of Sam,” who now loves the Lord Jesus Christ as his Redeemer. It was an incredible blessing to be able to share David’s story with the homeless, most of whom have seen the inside of a jail. Rather than “I have redeemed myself” as Mr. Williams was quoted as saying, Mr. Berkowitz proclaims on the pages of the tract that God redeemed him (i.e., purchased him) through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, his Redeemer.
I pray that God would give the gift of faith to those in the park yesterday who have yet to have godly sorrow leading to repentance, so they might believe Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient for their sins and thereby be saved from the coming Judgment. A good number of them seemed to appreciate Ron’s message. “The LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting” (Psalm 100:4-5).
We served a hot lunch of lasagna yesterday. Micah also brought enough hot chocolate for all in the park as well as some tasty desserts. We were blessed with many co-laborers yesterday, some of whom were new and very enthusiastic and helpful. We distributed loads of clothing rought by Tom Malloy and others, including jeans, sweatshirts and sweaters, socks and underwear. One of the new co-laborers, Libor, was impressed with the amount of work that he thought was involved in organizing the outreaches. However, I told him that there was very little organization entailed for each outreach. God just raised up people to proclaim the word, pray with the homeless, serve lunch, distribute clothing and generally encourage the park in Christ’s name.
One last word about the nature of the friendships God has forged in the park through this ministry. Many of you will remember Randy, whom I’ve mentioned before in these letters. He and Chicago served Christ with us for many weeks, serving their fellow man on the streets. Many will also recognize the name, Bill Witmer, another of our friends on the street who is actually rich since he is a co-heir with Christ. Randy must have spoken to Bill over the phone recently and Randy asked Bill to tell us that he is doing fine and that he says “Hi,” and that he might not return to the park as he has apparently found good living circumstances in North Carolina. This report was well-received for we had not seen Randy for many weeks now. These men are full of faith and minister to us more than we minister to them.
“Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?” (James 2:5).
At this time of year when we speak figuratively of receiving the newborn King, I wanted to remind those in the park of the need for all people everywhere to prepare for the literal return of Christ, not as the baby Jesus, but as the Judge of the world (Matthew 25:31). I’m also reminded of the second coming of Jesus Christ when I receive all of the secular Holiday cards at my office. They usually have messages of “Peace!” and “Have a safe holiday!” but no mention of either advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. The word of God describes this situation well: “The day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:2-3). So many in the world today live as if Christ will never return and God’s courts of justice will never be set up. This is to be expected, for as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be before the coming of Christ to judge the world: “They were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away” (Matthew 24:38-39). I urged the Christians in the park to rejoice that we have an “ark” and His name is Jesus Christ, that on that day all those who have waited for His coming and trusted in His salvation will be granted eternal life. “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us” (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10).
We were not only blessed to think of the eradication of all in this world that sets itself up against Jesus Christ, the Messiah and Son of God, and the coming redemption of our bodies and inheritance of eternal life, but we were blessed with temporal blessings that also remind us of God’s goodness and love.
Two different small/fellowship groups participated in the preparation of lunch. One group brought hot, homemade chili with meat and bread and the other group brought green beans and beverages including Tang. After lunch, we had a veritable cornucopia of winter clothing and blankets. The blankets were actually homemade quilts brought by Greg from his home church in West Virginia! Apparently, women in his church make these quilts all year long and, on Sunday, the homeless were blessed to receive them. Tom Malloy also mustered up enough warm winter hats and gloves for everyone who needed them to take one or two. Eric brought a large box of underwear and socks. There were shoes and jackets as well. As usual, it was difficult to keep track of who brought what.
At one point after the outreach, one of the homeless commented to me that it was good that we stayed in the park after we handed out the food and clothing and preached, for many organizations will not stay and simply fellowship with the “least of these.” I did not really think about it until he said this, but I do see that many of the “volunteers” have built unique friendships with certain of the homeless. These friendships are predominantly founded on their joint love of the Lord Jesus Christ, and their conversations show this. I was reminded of how much I needed to be in the park on a regular basis, because for some reason, the Christian fellowship is so rich there. “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:18-20).
Finally, Thomas, the man who is constantly drunk yet cries during the sermons and loves to hear the word of God, asked to pray with a bunch of us, but this time, he wanted to pray. It was a sincere prayer grounded in truth, supplicating to the Lord. He also talked about the Apostle Paul and his deliverance from being a murderer. He said he wishes he would be delivered from his sin of drunkenness just like Paul was delivered. Again and again in Thomas, I get a picture of the drunks Jesus must have hung out with many years ago. Christ was not following people into the pubs of His day hoping over the course of hours and many weekends that some door would open for His otherwise pagan, God-hating, sin-loving companions to ask just one question about eternity or God. He was hanging out with drunks who knew they were sinners and who were seeking the truth about salvation.
[Last Sunday in] the park I saw a man running around preaching a frenetic message that sounded like the gospel of Jesus Christ. I asked two men sitting on a park bench about the preacher and one of the men on the bench was with the preacher. He started talking about the realities of hell and the urgency of the matter of being reconciled with God through Jesus Christ. Eventually, the preacher came over to us and several others of his associates joined us. We talked for a bit and then several of the homeless who know me asked me what I thought of the preacher and his ministry. They were clearly uneasy with his approach. I had two concerns. First, they seemed to equate homelessness with unbelief, as if all the homeless were unsaved and a critical step in being saved was to leave the park. This is not the first time we have encountered such philosophy. Thankfully, I was able to get the preacher to concede that there are strong believers in the homeless community and that the ratio of believers to unbelievers in the corporate world could be far worse. “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24).
My second concern was deeper and more troubling. The preacher and his associates seemed to require their listeners come with them to their facilities in Philadelphia, PA. It seemed that the decision that was being foisted upon our friends in the park was not just simply to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior, but to come to Philadelphia. I recall that they had crafted some twelve-step plan of sorts that was somehow connected to Scripture. They seemed to deny that the gospel of Jesus Christ, and nothing else, is “the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16), and that a man or woman could be saved by the hearing of the gospel right where they are on the park bench! While we believe that getting out of the park and off the streets would be good for our homeless friends, we do not believe such a move helps them get saved. Thankfully, all of the homeless I talked to saw all the red flags and did not heed these folks.
Another interesting event last Sunday occurred at Starbucks. When we first entered Starbucks, there was a homeless man inside whom I did not know. Eventually, he must have left. Later, our friend David came into the Starbucks and said that he ran into the homeless man (who was in Starbucks) and the homeless man told David that he was about to rob the Starbucks, but when he saw the “Reverend,” he could not do it and simply left the place. I pray this man will eventually come to believe that “the ways of a man are before the eyes of the LORD, and He ponders all his paths” (Proverbs 5:21), so that he lives for the LORD rather than a “Reverend” or a police officer or his mom, so that he can stand with the Psalmist and say to the LORD, “Against You and You only have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight” (Psalm 51:4).
This past Sunday, we were all blessed in the chilly weather, especially the homeless, who were able to partake of a piping hot meal of rotisserie chicken, potatoes and green beans prepared by Hany Morcos and family. There was just enough of everything to fill all who were hungry to the brim.
Ron preached a message that essentially reminded us all that we worship Jesus Christ as God incarnate because of the Sign of Jonah, which proved that Jesus was the fully divine Son of God. “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40). In other words, Jesus Christ was declared to be the fully divine Son of God when He was raised from the dead on the third day after His death (Romans 1:4).
This is God’s ministry. We are vessels at best. We know that under God’s sovereignty, the very rocks could be our competition in this ministry, for as Christ pointed out long ago, “if the disciples shut up, the very rocks would cry out.”
God once again showed us that this ministry is wholly dependent upon Him and not us.
We served our annual Thanksgiving meal on Sunday, so there was much more work to be done than on the average Sunday. Early on in the set-up, David, who had signed up for work with the Red Cross [in areas hurt by Katrina], assumed an amazing leadership role among the homeless and at his command, drew a handful of homeless over to my vehicle to help unload. I was thrilled to see this!
Suzy and Abbey joined us for a couple of hours and talked with David. It has been many months since Suzy saw David, long before David changed. She commented that he is a different person, a new man. During the week, he got two winter coats from a local church and gave them to two older men who stay in another park and who are unable to move around very well. David continues to seem almost as startled as we are at his transformation, as if he is looking in a mirror and can’t believe what he sees. He commented how the only way to live life is to serve the Lord. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Cor 5:17).
I preached on Christ’s teaching to His disciples to begin prayer to God by saying “Our Father in heaven.” I delved into the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man to show the fantastic nature of the suggestion that any man or woman could ever have an intimate relationship with God akin to that of a child and father. Indeed, because of sins of mankind, the Bible refers to people in their natural state, into which they are born, not as children of God but as children of wrath and enemies of God (Eph 2:1-3; Rom 5:10). It was a joy though, to then focus on John 1:12-13, to proclaim how anyone who received Jesus Christ could become a child of God, born again out of darkness and sin and into the family of God with the full rights of a child. I emphasized that while Jesus Christ is the only way to become a child of God, by dint of His exclusive claim to dealing with the sin of the world, He is available to all people of all religions in the world, for God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). I trust the word of God will not return void.
We served well over 200 meals on Sunday. The effort was a orchestrated by the Holy Spirit, as we had just enough to fill every hungry person to the brim with chicken pot pies, freshly roasted turkey and ham, multiple recipes of potatoes, green beans, corn, apple sauce, cranberry, gravy, homemade cakes and cookies and, the most amazing of all the fixings, the pumpkin pies, of which there were many! We had upwards of 15 pumpkin pies and only had two left over at the end. The people and churches that contributed to this effort came from all over Washington. All told, I estimate that 15 to 20 people brought some dish to this outreach. Further, our church donated turkeys, hams and other fixings.
As Ron said, there was a look of joy on the faces of many homeless and volunteers as many stood back and wondered at the abundant provision of the word of God, the fellowship and the food.
Towards the end of the outreach, one of the homeless gave me a note, which read [quoted exactly], “To the cross people; from James Fetherson. Keep up the work, some of the homeless will come around. Myself, I have a apartment now. Last year, I was at homeless level. Got a job as a federal security person at a federal building. I was a member of the Army’s special operations fight in the middle east, 1991 Gulf War. James Fetherson, God-fearing person.”
I’m grateful for this change in his life. I’m also amazed that these kinds of results can be attributed to our work in the park. We do nothing by way of job placement or other social services. We rarely even talk about homelessness, for our foundational belief is that many of the social problems that are faced by those on the streets are spiritual at their core. By addressing the core issue of sin with the gospel of Jesus Christ, they can be liberated, not from their lack of material possessions, which is not evil in and of itself, but from their slavery to sin. Still, it gives us great joy to see how such liberation will often result in gainful employment and self-provision, which is good in the eyes of God (2 Thes 3:12).
Thank God for the gospel of Jesus Christ, which enables men and women to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and leave worries about food, clothing and possessions behind (Matt 6:33).
When I arrived at the park with a carload of equipment, Chicago showed up with a smile and praises for God. He helped me unload, as did one of the quiet Hispanic men whom we have known for some time, but who has never helped with the outreach before.
I preached on the text, “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words” (Matthew 6:7). I contrasted true Biblical faith in the living God, without which it is impossible to please God according to Hebrews 11:6, with the organized religions of the world that lead their adherents to put their faith not in God but in man-made rituals, formulas, methods and tricks. From special beads to quotas for daily prayer times to the use of prayers revealed in the Bible as formulas to unlock the blessings of God, people are deceived into thinking that that they will be heard for their many words, special words, special dances or rituals or the quantity of their sacrifices. The truth of the matter was summed up by the Psalmist when he said to the living God, “For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise” (Psalm 51:16-17). When a man is contrite over his utter inability to impress God with religious activities and sacrifices, he is in a position to have a relationship with God, for there, and only there, will a man cry out to God for mercy and find it in the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ, thus preparing the way for faith in God, rather than for religion.
Many of the homeless seemed to be helped by the word of God. Chicago, as usual, was intent on learning the Scriptures I used in my message. He talked about how he wanted to live a life pleasing to God, through faith in Jesus Christ. He said he needed our prayer, because he felt like he was still trying to live a life on the street in the “street culture”, and the life of a disciple of Jesus Christ. That is, he confessed double-mindedness. He waited around for us to re-load all of the ministry equipment and then asked for our phone numbers. He said that seeing and hearing from us just once a week was not enough. I gladly obliged.
Chicago is following in the footsteps of Donald Henson, an old friend who was once homeless and seeking the Lord’s face. Donald Henson lives in an apartment in DC now, but we regularly keep in contact. Don has been fighting cancer lately, finding his strength in the Lord. Don visited the park yesterday for the first time in maybe a year, just to say hello to us. We learned yesterday that Don and Chicago are good friends, brothers in Christ. They had met, I believe, while in the Spiritual Transformation Program at a Mission here in DC. Don just smiled when he saw that Chicago had asked for my sermon notes, just as Don used to do when he was still on the streets and regularly coming to the outreaches. We laid hands on Don and prayed for him regarding his cancer.
We served a lunch of tasty homemade meatballs made by Ruth, bread, cookies, chips and drinks. Micah was kind enough to bring the drinks. We also distributed some clothing, but not much. We are praying for winter clothing for the homeless before the temperatures drop.
The word of God, sweet fellowship amongst children of God through Jesus Christ, sunny Fall colors and temperatures, a good lunch and signs of the work of the Holy Spirit all around. It was a beautiful day, by God’s grace!
For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?
(1 Thessalonians 2:19)
Randy was overflowing with thanksgiving since he recently was awarded disability benefits from Social Security Administration. He has at least one hole in his heart (physically, not figuratively), is blind in one eye and going blind in the other and is an asthmatic. I’ve never heard him complain though and, like many of the regulars who participate in the outreach, he seems to just be thankful to have another day to live and breathe and learn to live a live pleasing to God their Savior.
Ron preached from Deuteronomy 18 and 32, and Revelation 13 and 20, among other passages dealing with signs, wonders and miracles that are driven by the power of Satan in the world and are available to people in the form of all sorts of spiritual exercises commonly described as witchcraft, though coming under all sorts of decoys and titles. It is a joy to be able to equip the “least of these” with the tools to recognize such evil and to know what the LORD thinks of it.
During Ron’s message, one of the homeless women whom we’ve heard has put her trust in Christ as her Savior came up to me and quietly asked me which Scripture indicates that Jesus died for anyone in the world without regard to their ethic origins, wealth, age or any other characteristics on which human prejudices are based. I told her John 3:16 might help and she smiled and said that was the verse of which she was thinking and she returned to a group of homeless who were having a debate apparently centered on this question.
We later learned that the debate was sparked by a newcomer to the park who claimed that Christ only died for the Jewish race and no one else. This man became violent at the end of the day and actually preached a mini-sermon from the edge of the park before he departed. The lady who I mention above was not the only one of the homeless who confronted this false teacher with the word of God. Another man also argued from Scripture against the heretic to prove he was wrong, however, this other man let his temper get the best of him and a full blown verbal fight ensued. Eventually, the fight ended due in no small part to the gentle words from Jason, a new worker with us, and Ron who interposed himself between the men. Although it was a joy to see how the homeless were using the word of God to fight against the evil teaching that they heard, the incident was a sober reminder for us that the homeless are not exempt from the cunning of the Father of all Lies.
Bill Witmer came through the clothing line yesterday and did nothing but look at a pair of shoes that were clearly for women. He knew he could only choose one item as he went through the line and there were some sweaters and other items remaining that could have suited him. However, he was thinking of a lady friend of his who needed a pair of shoes. It was a joy to see this selfless thinking coming from Bill. This is our prayer, that the homeless who receive the word of God and the Lord Jesus Christ will become more and more Christ-like so that they go out into the world as His ambassadors doing and saying what He did during His earthly ministry.
Bill and the lady who was seeking the chapter and verse for John 3:16 are examples of our hope, our joy and our crown of rejoicing in this ministry to the homeless. I cling to the hope of seeing such as these in the presence of Jesus Christ Himself when He comes again.
If you have been following these emails, you will recognize the pair of names, Randy and Chicago. Well, Randy and Chicago again gave us much reason to praise the Lord yesterday. Randy told me how he and Chicago helped an older lady get home this past week. They had met her on the street. She was stranded far away from home, which is in Florida. I’m not sure how this happened, but I do know Randy and Chicago essentially adopted her for a few days and began to work with her to contact her family members. With the use of computers at the local library and some phone calls, they were able to locate her relatives and arrange for her to be transported back to Florida. Randy was very excited to tell me about this. This is a picture of the ultimate results we have been praying for: that homeless would be converted and strengthened in the Lord Jesus Christ and embark on missions of mercy, proclaiming the Gospel in their own environments in the inner-city, and bear much fruit. We desire to witness the “good soil” become manifest, so that “He who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty” (Matthew 13:23).
I preached from Matthew 6 regarding Christ’s teaching on religious hypocrisy in the areas of charitable deeds, prayer and fasting. After exposing the symptoms of such hypocrisy using Christ’s teaching and giving some modern-day examples, I exhorted my listeners to examine their own hearts when they do a charitable deed or engage in public prayer or fasting, to see if they are sincerely engaging in these activities to please God, or, to please men and gain glory from others. I am continually amazed at the insights that we hear from the homeless on spiritual matters. Frank, the Samson-like homeless man whom I’ve mentioned before in this weekly email, observed that Muslims are good examples of religious hypocrisy as they let the whole world know when they are fasting and praying. This is not surprising though, for their entire religion is based on self-righteousness rather than the only righteousness that satisfies God, the righteousness that comes through faith in Jesus Christ, even the righteousness of God (Rom 3:21-22; 2 Cor 5:21).
We served a lunch of pizza, potato salad, oranges and cake to about 100 homeless. Tom Malloy brought clothing from McLean Bible Church’s clothing ministry including blankets, sweaters, socks and a few pairs of pants. Dan brought new tassel caps, which were hot items now that the temperature is dropping. The clothing distribution was very blessed like last week. The ticket system resulted in much more fairness as we witnessed some of the smaller and more quiet members of the homeless community step up to the table of clothes showing their ticket with a smile, knowing that they would never have been able to get clothes they needed if they were left to fight it out with the other homeless.
We met David’s brother yesterday. (I refer to the David who is serving in New Orleans right now.) His brother was able to corroborate the major changes we have been seeing in David’s life. He was similarly thankful of the positive changes and we praised God together. We thank God for how He showered His mercy on us in the Lord Jesus Christ and changed our lives, bringing us from the darkness of spiritual death to His marvelous light of new life.
Randy and "Chicago" came over to my vehicle and greeted me as soon as I found a parking spot across from the park. As Chicago pulled the wooden cross from the back of my truck, he sang a hymn about the cross. He continued to sing that hymn off and on for the rest of the outreach. Randy also took on his weekly responsibilities and helped unload the equipment. Randy and Chicago are Christians. They are also very different, with Randy being Caucasian, small and quiet and Chicago being African American, outspoken, big and strong. Yet, at the end of the outreach, they kindly waited for one another and walked out of the park together. I asked Randy whether they hang out and he said "yes". It's continually amazing to see how God blesses Christians with the fellowship of other Christians, though they might be different outwardly, especially in difficult times like those facing these guys who live on the streets.
Ron preached from John 8, reminding us all of the Biblical meaning of Christ's teaching on how the truth will set a person free. Rather than set a person free from oppressive governments, physical or emotional trials or the guilty conscience that comes with fresh sins, the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ will set a person free from slavery to sin, the form of bondage into which all people are born. Ron told his listeners that the only way out of this bondage is faith in Jesus Christ who paid the price of all their sins when He bore God's wrath against them in His body on the cross. "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 2:21).
We were blessed with a multitude of co-laborers on Sunday, many of whom were unexpected. Lunch was a major team effort. Louise brought homemade Bolognese sauce and Alain and his group brought pasta. Others brought drinks and still others brought desserts. Tom Malloy brought piles of blankets and shoes, so that almost every homeless person who was willing to wait in line was able to get either a blanket or a pair of shoes. After serving well over 100 homeless persons, we had leftover food and some clothes. Micah summed it up when he surveyed the outreach and said the Lord blessed everyone with His "bounty."
I observed one unique blessing of the day while we distributed blankets and shoes. We used the numbered ticket system to distribute clothes to inject more fairness into the process. It was striking to see the result. We had handed out tickets for clothing to the homeless while they were in the lunch line so that the strongest and most conniving members of the homeless community would not get the best clothes as has happened so many times in the past. This time, as I called out ticket numbers, one after another of the smallest and quietest of the homeless stepped forward to receive the Lord's bounty. A good number of the Hispanic community were able to get blankets and shoes for the first time, since their lack of English and smaller numbers often disadvantaged them in prior "competitions" for clothes. This was a picture of justice and I'm sorry we have not used this system more in the past.
Lastly, John, our longtime friend on the streets, was encouraged on Sunday during the clothing distribution process. John is an older Christian man who has advised us over the years on how to deal with unique matters of street homeless ministry. After the clothing line formed, John realized he did not even have a ticket. He asked for a ticket anyway, even though there were at least 80 to 100 people in front of him. I told him that he should pray that the Lord would help him in the face of these odds. He did. Afterward, he had received a pair shoes and was smiling ear to ear with the joy and confidence that comes with answered prayer. He then began to talk with renewed hope of getting off the street and starting in a local Salvation Army program.
Because of financial limitations, we could not serve lunch today. Before I began to preach, I let the two dozen or so homeless already in line know that we did not have lunch. Upon hearing this, one or maybe two men left the line but the rest stayed to hear the sermon. Paul and Bill, two good friends who live on the streets and are brothers in Christ, approached me later and were filled with praise for how barely anyone left the lunchline upon hearing that we had no food. Bill echoed the comments of a good number of the others who live on the street and are leaders of a sort that many of the homeless depend upon our ministry coming down each week to be fed "spiritual food." He commented that he knew at least a few who had turned towards the Lord since they started participating in our outreaches. This was incredibly encouraging, though I know that we basically just planted the seeds that have blossomed as such, and that ultimately it's God who makes the seeds grow. Only God, who commanded light to shine out of darkness, could shine in the heart of a lost soul to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6).
I preached from Matthew 5:43-45, where Christ teaches that we are to love our enemies, not only those who love us. He taught that we are to do this "that you may be sons of your Father in heaven." The Christian's love of his enemies reveal that he is a son of God. God's enemies are all those who reject Christ. As the Scripture says, "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him" (John 3:36). Yet, the offer of reconciliation is made to the whole world, for "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). We see a picture of this in Christ's prayer for his murderers, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). He loved even His murderers, we ought to love our enemies as well.
At one point, I asked everyone who was a Christian in line to raise a hand. Almost immediately, Robert raised his hand. I've written about Robert in the past. I've known him for several years now and have noted his increased interest in hearing from God's word each week. However, I had never asked him if he actually repented and trusted Christ. It was a joy to see that he had.
I praise God for how the simple message of Christ crucified and the accompanying work of God in the hearts of men is transforming lives of the "least of these" in McPherson Square Park.
Most of those in line stayed to hear the word. I preached on Christ's words recorded for us in Matthew 5:38-42, in which we see the stark contrast between perfect justice (i.e. an eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth, verse 38) and perfect grace (i.e. turn the other cheek). In seeking to convey the meaning of this text, I was reminded of the lesson in the story of Christ and the religious rulers who were going to stone the adulteress. The lesson is that the second we cry out for perfect justice, we put ourselves in dire jeopardy, for we are all guilty of breaking God's law at some point and deserving of condemnation (Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 6:23). "There is none righteous, no, not one" (Romans 3:10). Once again in studying the Sermon on the Mount, I was struck of how holy, just and good the law of God is, but how sinful, bad and unjust we are. As Paul says, "The law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good" (Romans 7:12). The problem is not that the law of God is cruel or unjust, but that we are so sinful that we are all condemned under it. Indeed, the purpose of the law is to show us our sin (Romans 3:20). Thankfully, while the law of God came through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17), and we see the height of grace in the gospel of grace, by which men and women are given salvation when they deserved death. Grace is undeserved kindness and is found nowhere else like it is found on the cross at Calvary. Understanding the grace of God found in Jesus Christ, its not surprising that Christ taught all of His disciples to practice undeserved kindness by turning the other cheek, not resisting an evil person, not taking those who persecute us to court, but simply by returning good for evil.
After the outreach, David, whom I've mentioned time and again, gave one of the most encouraging testimonies that I have ever heard in the park. He exclaimed that he truly understood that he is saved by grace alone and that grace means he did not deserve it, but deserved condemnation. This truth is what has been changing David for many months now, so much so that he is actually working with the Red Cross using his 25 years of food service experience to help the less fortunate in the flooded area of New Orleans. He plans to leave either Thursday evening or Friday morning and stay down there for at least three weeks. He told us that his "relationship with God" has been growing steadily for many months now. David recalled the many times in the early years that he would just curse me and mock me, but that each time his guilty conscience would lead him to apologize, I received him and forgave him. He said this has stuck with him. He knew all I was doing was trying to copy my Master. For the first time in years, we will not see David for weeks as he embarks on a mission to work with his hands to support himself and to help those in need. I told him not to forget his Bible and he said, "I won't!" Praise God.
Ray is another regular at our outreaches who usually listens to the word of God and spends time fellowshipping with us. He approached me to ask me for transportation money for a new job he got. He had a form that was a contract with this new employer. He was joyful and excited, but at the same time continued to just talk and hang around. Eventually, it occurred to me that he was telling me he would not be at the park much anymore and was essentially saying goodbye, for he hoped to make enough money to get off the street. At the same time, each of us realized that we would miss the other and the times we have had in the park. Yet we both agreed, of course, this was the right direction for him and parted with excitement. I pray, O God, help him serve you, as he should, as he steps out trusting you.
One other notable event of the day was the passer-by that burst out in verbal persecution today while I was preaching. While I did not hear all that he said, I do know that he initially said, with anger and a raised voice loud enough for all of us to hear, "Just feed them" and "They don't want to listen to you!" As he continued to walk by, within 20 feet or so, he continued to yell at me filled with hate and anger. This took place as I preached on grace. Thankfully, God gave me the grace to bless him rather than curse him and return evil for evil. Many of the men in line knew that this man's comments were ignorant of the fact that I required no one to listen to the sermon in order to eat: they were listening voluntarily. This passer-by reminded me of the view of many in the world of homeless as mindless, sub-human people with stomachs to feed and naked bodies to clothe. The world thinks that happiness is found in food, clothing and material possessions, but many Christians through the ages have found the one and only true way to happiness: reconciliation with their Maker. Woe is me if I do not tell these people in the park how to have this!
We thank God for this ministry of reconciliation and pray that He would continue to help us and Ray, and David and all of His church to serve Him all the days of our lives until we go to be with Him in glory forever.
David also helped. I've mentioned David many times in this weekly email. He used to be an enemy of the outreach. There were times when he cursed me or others involved in the ministry and many weeks and months when he never lent a helping hand. But yesterday, as has been the case for many months now, David helped unload and set up, he inquired how we were doing, even asking about my wife and daughter. He has genuine smiles for us each week and most importantly, seems to be more and more interested in the things of God.
Ron preached on the impossibility of serving God and money and the dangers of putting our hopes in money or those who bear it including the governing authorities, which often operate for their own glory rather than the glory of the King of kings and the everlasting kingdom of God. He concluded with the Apostle Paul's exhortation to Timothy regarding the rich: "Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life" (1 Timothy 6:17-19). Ron brought the focus of his listeners to the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ as our driving motivation and hope in this present age.
We served lasagna coupled with steamed vegetables from the Lord's servant, Ruth. We were blessed with many Spirit-filled co-laborers yesterday who refreshed many in the park. Tom Malloy made another clothing run from McLean Bible Church, which has been setting aside clothing for our use at McPherson Square for many years now. We distributed many pairs of shoes and some clothes including new socks.
At one point, Frank, a huge, boisterous guy whom I've mentioned before, showed up on the scene after we were winding down. In previous weeks, he has defended the deity of Christ and the greatness of John the Baptist from the Scriptures. This week, as he approached, he asked whether we had any food left. Upon hearing that we had run out, he immediately quipped, "Man cannot live on bread alone."
"The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how."
Hany Morcos brought lunch with the help of his father yesterday. The entire Morcos family is involved in this outreach on a regular basis, and we are grateful for their help in this labor for Christ. They brought piping hot spaghetti and meatballs! Others brought cookies and drinks.
Several of the homeless asked me about our plans for the winter. This is the first mention of winter I've heard for many months. As the temperatures are starting to drop in the evenings now, these guys are already starting to worry. One man asked me if we would be getting any of the military sleeping bags that we got last winter. In fact, this guy was with a man who received one of the four sleeping bags we distributed last year. Others are starting to think about taking the sweatshirts and sweaters that find their way into the clothing we distribute. We pray for an ability to help clothe the "least of these" this winter, for their warmth and the glory of their Maker. This prayer includes a prayer for more laborers for this little harvest field as we enter into the colder months.
I continued preaching through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-6), this time covering Christ's teaching on adultery and the fact that we can commit it in God's eyes just by looking at another person lustfully. It's clear that the deepest cause of sin was not the eyes, but the sinful desires of the heart. Even if we took Christ's teaching to gouge out our eyes literally (which He did not intend), sin would not go away. I observed that there are millions in the world today that in the name of God force women to cover themselves from head to toe, thinking that the problem is the environment around them, rather than the depravity within them. This is the spirit of self-righteous Phariseeism that Christ confronted when he said, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness" (Matthew 23:27). Christ stated the truth about sin when He said, "For from within, out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness" (Mark 7:21-22). This all laid the foundation for the Good News that by faith in Christ and His death in our place on the cross, no matter how many adulteries we have committed, we can be declared innocent (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
After I finished, I met a man named Michael who described himself as a born-again gypsy. I remember him from the week before when he came through the lunch line and could not stop praising God and testifying to various truths of God's word. This week, he was doing the same thing and decided to give me his testimony. He had gone through church after church during his life, but he was not saved until a friend brought him to an evangelistic outreach where all he can remember is seeing a huge cross and believing the Good News about Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He wanted to pray together and praise the Lord together! It was a treat! At one point, he grabbed his Bible and asked me to start reading at Genesis 1:1. Each time I encountered a reference to another day of God's creative work, he gasped and proclaimed with child-like faith how mighty and awesome God was to be able to create the earth. He conceded that God could have done it all in a day if He wanted to. What faith! He said that Genesis chapter 1 was a central Scripture passage for him in his life. I was reminded how important it is to take God at His word. Michael recently moved from Los Angeles and said that aside from working as a roofer, mechanic, and general tradesman, he "pastored" among people on the street. He said he even tried to preach the gospel to the crips and the bloods in East LA. He said he regularly tries to preach the gospel to the guys in McPherson Square Park. At one point, I saw his Christ-likeness in action as a bully in the park came up to him and demanded money. Rather than resist or fight the man, he was very kind and forgiving and promised to give him the money when he had it. When I asked him about the incident, he immediately cited the Scriptures having to do with loving even our enemies and blessing them. This guy had such a strong, simple faith in God and His Son Jesus Christ. We hugged and he prayed for safe travels for Suzy, Abbey and I this week as we travel to none other than LA. What a picture of how the last will be first and the first last. A thrice divorced, former drug addicted, homeless gypsy, bullied by many around him, suffering from bleeding feet from too much walking, yet overflowing with joy. "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence" (1 Corinthians 1:27-29).
We served lunch to over a hundred people. We were blessed with new helping hands of Mike, Dan, Carl and others. Louise and her daughters brought a lunch of hot dogs and baked beans. They also brought warmers and table clothes, which was a nice (and needed) touch. They also brought cold water and clothes, all of which we were able to hand out.
God gives us a framework for having an assurance of salvation that does not look to a special prayer or a baptism or a commitment, but a changed life. "Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments" (1 John 3:3). We praise God for the changed lives we are seeing amongst the homeless at McPherson Square Park. We continue to pray for the men who continue to reject Christ.
Ron finished preaching on the seven churches in Revelation. He drew insights from these passages into the churches that surround us today and shared his wonder at the timelessness of the Scriptures. We trust that God's word will have an impact in the park according to His sovereign purposes.
Hany brought homemade Shepherd's pie and we also had chicken-vegetable stir-fry over rice. Ruth brought rice for approximately one hundred people. As usual, we had tons of desserts. The Brian and Renee brought cakes and others brought cookies. We had plenty of drinks as well to help mitigate the risk of heat exhaustion on another steamy DC afternoon. Tom "the clothes man" Malloy brought a couple of bags of clothing including socks, underwear and T-shirts. Also, we distributed at least 10 pairs of shoes. Their shoes tend to wear out quicker because they walk everywhere and many work construction jobs, so this was a blessing for them and us. Finally, Cynthia Butler dropped off fresh fruit for the men before we arrived at the park. A group of the homeless saved an apple and peach for me. Did I mention changed lives?
We were also blessed with many co-laborers. We are always encouraged and strengthened by the Lord when He sends new laborers to the "field" at McPherson Square. I'm reminded of Christ's words to Paul as Paul faced trials in urban ministry many years ago: "Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city" (Acts 18:9-10).
Armando, another homeless man, came to me before the outreach began and asked if we could give him our used rubber gloves after we are done serving lunch. He used to ask us for new gloves, but decided that might be too wasteful. He needs the gloves to help pick up trash each Sunday after we leave. I really never knew that he did this until yesterday. A couple of hours later, several police officers came to the park and were clearly disturbed by the numbers of homeless and the trash on the ground. One police officer spoke directly to me and said if we really want to do a community service, we could pick up the trash. I immediately thought of Armando and pointed to him and told the police officer that he helped us pick up trash. The police officer observed him and then later commented to me that Armando does a great job. See, we pray for God's grace to help us through our outreach, but don't know how He will help. I know this is one way He helped us. Thank you LORD.
The comment from the police officer reminded me of the world's view towards what we do. Yes, we go to the park each week to help the less fortunate of our community and in that sense, we serve the community. Yet, this is not our primary objective. Christ established Himself and His glory as a higher priority than community service (Matthew 26:11) and, for that matter, a higher priority than every other person, including ourselves (Luke 14:26-27). The Christian's purpose on earth is to make God and His Son Jesus Christ known (Matthew 28:19). All that we do and say is for this purpose. "Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" (Colossians 3:17). "Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). This is the very purpose of all of creation! God is beckoning men to Himself in every sunrise and sunset (Psalm 19; Acts 14:17, 17:26-27)! Yes, we serve the homeless of our community and thereby show them an ounce of the mercy that was shown to us by God in Jesus Christ. However, our mission is far greater and more profound than filling stomachs, clothing naked bodies and cleaning up trash, though these are good things to do: it's beckoning men and women to come to the one and only God, maker of heaven and earth, through Jesus Christ our Lord, to the glory of God.
I preached from Matthew 5:21-26, which reveals our Master's teaching on the sin of murder and the iceberg beneath the surface: hatred towards our fellow man. It was a blessing to be able to talk to these men about the antidote found in Jesus Christ, for many of them are consumed with hatred - some have even murdered. I spoke to one man afterward, Tony Lynette, who was passing through DC on his way to Norfolk. He said he had an anger problem. In the midst of him telling me about approximately 5 different psychiatric disorders that people had said he had, including one called "spontaneous anger eruption disorder" or something like that, I told him he sinned every time he let his anger fester. He agreed. I then asked him if he ever prayed to God and confessed this sin. He thought for a bit and then said "no". He asked me how to pray to God. He said he planned to pray to God and confess his sins later that day.
We did in fact have tons of food yesterday. We were all blessed by a group of women led by Laurel who prepared lasagnas and Rice by Michelle. There were also tons of desserts brought by various individuals. Other brought toiletries and still others brought some clothing to hand out. We served upwards of 20 gallons of cold beverages.
One last bit of news: Remember Rodney from last week? Well, Rodney told us yesterday that he forgave his wife! After nine years of harboring hatred and unforgiveness, he said a huge burden had been lifted from his back. He truly appeared to be lighter and more joyful!
I asked Rodney why he was still living on the streets. It was as if I asked a question he had forgotten how to answer. He said it was a good question and began to ponder the reasons. He does not do drugs or drink liquor. However, he is only able to work 20 hours a week because his temporary employment agency will not give him any more time. Therefore, he does not have enough money to rent an apartment. After the outreach, I continued talking to him and learned that he had served our country as a Marine in Desert Storm. Sadly, when he returned to the U.S., he discovered that his wife had taken everything and left him for a lifestyle of sexual perversion. "This devastated me," Rodney said. While we did not discuss the role this event had in his homelessness, it seems clear that the emotional devastation, the lack of family in the area, and his wife taking everything including money was enough to put him on the streets. Yet, surprisingly, the smiles continued and he was amazingly hungry to learn about the LORD and his Savior Jesus Christ. He had all kinds of questions. Another Christian had told him that he needed to forgive his wife. We talked about how he and I had been forgiven by God for many offenses against God that were far more serious than any offense from another human being no matter how great. As Christ said, "He who is forgiven little, loves little" (Luke 7:47). After talking about forgiveness, Rodney asked me other questions about certain Scripture, all for wanting to do the right thing in God's eyes. This is a core principal of Rodney's life from what I can tell.
During the outreach, Rodney served the men in line with cups of cold water. We did not ask him to do this. After the outreach was completed, he helped break down and load up the equipment. Micah and I talked with him some more. He said that he was being recruited by the National Guard and had been offered a $13,000 "signing bonus" of some sort. As with most everything, he wanted to talk about what God's word says about military service and whether it would be pleasing to God if he took this job. After sharing some Scripture with him, we concluded by offering to pray for him in this regard.
Overall, I was impressed by Rodney's maturity as a Christian and was reminded that poverty was never to be a "litmus test" for spiritual health. The church in Smyrna from Revelation 2:8-11 was a spiritually mature and healthy church, though they were impoverished. Christ summed up their state this way, "I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich)" (verse 9). Christ clearly associated true riches with spiritual riches, not temporal riches. We should remember this as we read of the promises of prosperity in the Bible.
Rodney did not have to worry about the warnings in Scripture for those who are rich, that they be wary of putting their trust in riches rather than the LORD (1 Timothy 6:17; Psalm 62:10; Proverbs 30:8-9). Rodney is not wise in his own eyes, but at the same time has understanding. "The rich man is wise in his own eyes, but the poor who has understanding searches him out" (Proverbs 28:11).
I pray for Rodney, not that the LORD would give him money or even a house. I pray that the Holy Spirit would lead him to forgive his wife from his heart. I also pray for his ability to discern God's good and perfect will for his life, whether it be in the military or as a civilian cook or in some other role God only knows.
God provided food and clothing for the men in the park yesterday as well, but somehow, aside from thanking Him and those whom He used (Ruth, Peter, Jerri, Ron and Deanna and others), these items seem less important at this time here in Washington, DC, in light of Rodney and the many others whom we meet who are daily resting in God's everlasting arms.
As Derek preached from the book of James with some occasionally insights into the meaning of the text, I was reminded of why the word of God is referred to as being "living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12). One man in particular, who goes by the name "Chicago" commented to me that Derek's "message" was hitting him hard. I gave him a Bible after he asked for one and he continued to track Derek's message in the Bible.
While Derek was speaking, one of the homeless was talking loudly and picking fights with men in line. This man's name is Frank. Frank is really big and had the demeanor of a bull in a ring in Spain. He was undoubtedly distracting people from hearing Derek. Distractions are not new. It is not uncommon for at least one heckler to be present during a sermon. If it's not a heckler then it's another group with food. Over and over, we see the men and few women get tested as to how hungry they truly are for the word of God-whether they will be like the Israelites in the desert who could not get their minds off their stomachs in the face of their new-found freedoms to worship God or like Caleb and Joshua; like the droves of people in the crowds whom could hardly hear Christ in the midst of the ruckus or like Zacchaeus who climbed up into a tree so that he could hear and see Christ. When Frank was heckling, some men did come closer to Derek and make a concerted effort to ignore Frank. Others took the bait and "answered a fool according to his folly" and thus became like him (Proverbs 26:4).
We served pizza and homemade Shepherd's Pie. Hany Morcos and a host of his family members kindly pitched in to make the pie. Renee and Brian Thomas also brought homemade cakes and someone else brought cookies and drinks. We served upwards of 140 servings, many of which were seconds.
Tom Malloy brought clothes which we handed out to the men. This was a very contentious process among homeless men as it always has been. Many of these men are working as laborers during the day and they desperately need fresh clothes that have not been sweated in for days on end, so we understand. It is interesting to see the different characters of the men manifest themselves. Just yesterday, an older homeless man whom we've known for some time and who tends to be very gentle and always in inquiring about Scripture, waited patiently towards the end of the line for clothes while all of the fights and negotiating broke out towards the front of the line. When he eventually got to the table, he got a shirt that he liked very much. This was surprising since we barely had anything left by the time got to the front. I praised God for his patience and he seemed to take this in stride as if he was used to waiting on the Lord and being satisfied continually.
We thank God for the opportunity to serve Him this way and pray that it all redounds to His glory and the glory of Jesus Christ. I pray that "when the saints go marching in," we will see many of these faces from McPherson Square Park on our right and left no longer limping, smelling, dying, crying, fighting, drinking, smoking, but dancing and worshipping their great God and Savior with smiles from ear to ear.
As I was about to load up the big banquet table into the back of my SUV at Central Union Mission (where we store our outreach equipment), a man with no apparent connection to the Mission approached me from one of the back alleys and asked if I needed a hand. He was in relatively poor shape, yet he explained that he wanted to help me since I was helping other people. I'm not sure how he knew this. He helped me load the table and then departed. Thank you Lord.
Once I arrived at the park, there was a huge crowd gathered already. The day was beautiful, warm but not humid as last week. Many men came over to my truck to help carry the table, bins, water cooler, and other supplies. Immediately as I entered the park, three different men approached me and asked for Bibles. One was a Hispanic man who was looking for a Spanish Bible. Another was looking for a KJV and the third was looking for an NIV. I just happened to be carrying a Spanish Bible, an NIV and a KJV! These men were hungry for the word of God. Perhaps they take the Scripture to heart that says, "as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby" (1 Peter 2:2). One of the men has always kept quiet, but has been present at outreaches listening to the sermons for many months. Even today, he barely conversed with me, but took his Bible and returned to his spot in line.
The amplifier worked great today as I preached from Matthew 5:17-20, in which Christ teaches of the critical importance and permanence of the Old Testament for all people. I reminded my listeners how the commandments of God are the "tutor" that bring people to Christ (Galatians 3:24) and make people aware of their own sin (Romans 3:20), so that unbelievers might run to Jesus Christ for forgiveness of their sins. The law of God not only prepares the way for the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the hearts and minds of unbelievers, it tells the redeemed Christian how to please God his Savior. The Christian desires to know God's commands so that through his obedience to them he might return a mere iota of the love that was first shown him (1 John 4:10). As Christ said, "If you love Me, you will keep my commandments" (John 14:15). Finally, it was a blessing to conclude as Christ concluded with the truth that even though no man will get to heaven unless his righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, the Christian is given Christ's perfect righteousness in the great exchange on the cross: our sin to Him, His righteousness to us, so that we might dwell in God's presence forever (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Colossians 1:27).
Louise and her daughters brought homemade pasta with meat sauce, Micah and Hany brought cookies. We had plenty of cold drinks by God's grace. We also had 5 or 6 bags filled with T-shirts, underwear, socks and shorts, about half of which were brand new and donated by a Wal-Mart in Pittsburgh through the hand of my brother-in-law's mother. Tom Malloy brought additional clothes. In all this read: God's hand.
Derek also constructed a new and improved wood cross this week and brought it to the outreach! We've been without a cross for many months now. The new cross is bigger than the last cross having a height of at least 9 feet, is all cedar and has retractable arms for ease of transporting it (Suzy's design). Just in case anyone who reads this does not understand the location of this park, it should be noted that it is a block north of the White House. Yes, for years now, a block north of the White House, we've strapped a huge cross to a pillar in the middle of a park and preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ! We thank God for the freedom to do this and wonder at this privilege.
A man named Randy Ussery approached me. I've never met him before, but he came to me asking whether we maintain a prayer list. He said that he was going blind in his left eye and and that he had "leakages" in his heart. Further, all of his clothes and medications had been stolen at the shelter where he stays. He simply asked for prayer for these matters. He said he did not regularly attend church but "keeps the Lord in his heart" and regularly prays. He thanked me for our outreaches and for bringing the word of God to the park. Please pray for Randy if you are led. He is the first person ever to ask if he could gain access to the prayers of those involved in this ministry.
There was so much activity today that I know I'm probably only giving you a glimpse of the many blessings given by God. I would encourage any who attend the outreaches to shoot me an email with any unique stories or testimonies of God's goodness in particular as it was manifest in the midst of the outreach.
What a day! I'll begin by recounting a very helpful message that was brought to me by one of our regular homeless attendees. As far as I can recall, I've never really spoken to this man aside from "Thank you" and "God bless" and "You're welcome." But today, having observed the various trials that beset us from the start, he told me that Christians must pass through many trials and tribulations as they enter the kingdom of God. He reminded me that trials in the midst of ministry are often to be welcomed. I was grateful for his words and thanked him. Who was this man? I have no idea. But I do know of God who is called, "the Father of all mercies and God of all comfort" (2 Corinthians 1:3), so above all I thank Him.
The first trial of the day was when the main course for lunch, hot dogs, were stranded in Springfield Virginia where they were supposed to be picked up from the home of our friend, Hany Morcos. Hany's address somehow slipped through the cracks. We called his home, but he had already left and his mother, who speaks broken English, answered and attempted to give us directions. I managed to glean the house number and street name and I gave a street atlas and such information to Ruth, who ventured into Virginia to pick up the hot dogs.
Normally, in such a situation, we would simply begin preaching and maybe preach a little longer than usual, however, Ron was the preacher today and Ron had lost his voice [preaching] a few weeks ago. He was depending on a sound amplifier to project his message, but the sound amplifier was not working. We thought it might have something to do with our power source, which was an electrical outlet existing in the park, so I retrieved the car battery starter that I keep in my vehicle. Larry was able to hook up the battery starter through an AC/DC converter in order to provide the needed power to make the amplifier work.
At this point, many of the homeless in the park were in a line that had formed for another group that was handing out clothes and also preaching the word of God. It was a blessing to see this other ministry at work. We thank God for the reminder that if we shut up, even the rocks would cry out, or, God would raise up other ambassadors of Christ. However, due to the presence of this other ministry, there were only a handful of homeless in line waiting to hear Ron begin. But once Ron began to preach (figuring God had ordained just the right people to hear the message), homeless started trickling into the line and soon, its size quadrupled at least.
Ron preached from John 17, reminding us that the kingdom of God is not built by human hands, but is given, or inherited from God. He reminded us that Christ did not pray for the world, but only for those whom the Father had given Him (John 17:9) and that the "blessed hope" of Christians is the return of Jesus Christ, because only Jesus Christ has the ability usher in world peace and build the idyllic kingdom we all know should exist but doesn't in our present world. Ron urged his listeners to devote themselves to proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all of creation, consistent with the Great Commission of Christ, not that the world may be saved, but that all whom God has chosen will be saved.
After Ron finished, the hot dogs still had not arrived and men were thirsty and hungry. Thirst seemed to be the preeminent problem. It was hotter and muggier today than any other Sunday I can recall. Everyone was sweating. Fortunately, we brought cold water and cold juices and the Starbucks across the street kept filling our 5-gallon cooler with cold water. Eventually, we decided to serve the mashed potatoes and corn that Ruth had kindly brought. As soon as we began serving the sides, the hot dogs showed up. Someone else brought cookies. We served over a hundred lunches.
God blessed us and for that we are thankful.
Today was hot, however, our God provided sufficient shade for all of us as we engaged in the ministry of the word of God and serving lunch.
While we were setting up for lunch and before Derek started preaching, a man in the line whom I've never seen before stepped out of line and thanked all of us for coming. We thanked him and told him we come in Jesus' name. "And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" (Colossians 3:17).
We served a lunch of homemade spaghetti, a variety of homemade cakes and ice cream. Morcos brought the spaghetti after preparing it with his Dad today. He is a Christian from Egypt who just started serving with us last week. Morcos encouraged us from the beginning and continues to encourage us with his enthusiasm for serving the Lord Jesus. Upon reading our short introduction to the ministry, he wrote back to us [by email], "My heart is rejoicing by what I read. Blessed be God who provides the opportunity for us to serve him." Amen! Brian brought the cakes and Ruth brought the ice cream. Tina also brought lots of sodas and we also had [much needed] cold water.
I spoke the word of God to those in line for a while after we began serving lunch. One man in line seemed to be a step ahead of me on each point at the same time he was receiving the word with joy. I asked him if the Lord had delivered him from his sins. He said "yes", that he has been free from crack cocaine for 16 or 17 months. He said that he no longer had a desire for the drugs and that he owes this transformation to the Lord Jesus Christ. Although he had been attending narcotics anonymous meetings, he gave all of the credit for his deliverance to Christ. We praised God together.
Another man began to preach along with me, and continued after I finished. I told him he should continue to preach, and he said he will. This is the second week in a row I've met such a man, raised up by God to disseminate the Good News of forgiveness of sins and eternal life through Jesus Christ. This is awesome!
At one point during the outreach, I saw Thomas, the man who has perplexed me for several weeks with a peculiar combination of sensitivity to God's word... and drunkenness. I've wondered whether this guy was similar to the drunks who Christ actually spent time with. Well, today, he approached me and began talking to me. I immediately noticed a difference in his demeanor and did not smell liquor on his breath. He seemed alert, sober, and thoughtful. He explained that early in the day he thought about distributing newspapers for $50 and, as he had done in the past, using such cash to buy liquor. However, he said, "something led him to go to church instead." He said he's a work in progress and things are getting better by God's grace. He asked me to preach the word of God to him, and I had a particular Psalm in mind, Psalm 124:8, "Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth," so I elaborated on this for a few minutes. Tears welled up in his eyes as has happened in the past when he's heard the word of God. I can only think that I'm witnessing the type of transformation that happened in the lives of so many drunkards who came in contact with the Word made flesh, Christ Jesus, during His earthly ministry. I thank God for letting me see this work in the heart of this one sinner and pray that as He has begun it, that He would bring it to completion.
We are thankful for the opportunity to be vessels for the message of His salvation and trust there is no greater way to love our neighbors in McPherson Square Park. "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us" (2 Corinthians 4:7). "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). "And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God" (1 Corinthians 2:4-5). Amen.
Today was a blessed day of ministry at McPherson Square Park in DC. Our numbers were few, but just enough—as always! "For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him." The group of us included Ron and Deanna, Derek, Scott Fine, Jerri and Anne Thompson and a dear brother in Christ from Egypt, Marcus, who blessed us with his praise for God and desire to see ministry done in Christ's name. "And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus."
Many in the park turned their attention to my words as I continued working through the Gospel of Matthew chapter five, verses 13 through 16, having to do with disciples of Christ being salt and light in the world. It was great to be able to bring a message that not all people will dislike and even persecute Christians (verses 10-12), but that some will be drawn to Christians as the salt and light of the world, to the glory of God. Likewise, not all chanted "crucify Him, crucify Him" on that dark Friday when our Lord was murdered; some waited to bury Jesus and tend to His lifeless body. We pray the word of God would not return void and fall on good, ready hearts and minds.
There was one person in particular who was seemingly blessed by the sermon. She is not homeless, but was just passing by the park when she heard me and decided to come over and listen. She just happened to have her Bible with her. She was paging through her Bible as I called out Scripture and let out a few "amens" as I spoke. Afterward, she indicated that she had been reading through Matthew 5:13-16 today just before she came into the park. That's amazing, but what's even more amazing is that a sister in Christ at my church this morning prayed for me and the ministry and told me she had a conviction that there was one person in particular whom God was leading to come and hear this particular sermon. There's no question in my mind the lady with the "amens" was the person of whom this sister in Christ spoke!
Another man in the lunch line wanted to talk my ear off with all kinds of questions about Christianity. He said he was raised in a Christian home but called Jesus a "good prophet." I later learned that he was dabbling in the doctrines of Muhammad, the founder of Islam, who categorically denied that Christ is the Son of God and promised Messiah from God. I reminded this man that this teaching is a manifestation of the spirit of the Antichrist according to 1 John 4:1-3. He thanked me for sharing this warning in Scripture with him and seemed to be rethinking his spiritual pilgrimage.
We served 43 large pizzas today and upwards of 80 servings of homemade spaghetti. We also served many drinks on this hot summer day. The number of organizations giving out food to the poor are usually fewer in the summer. Even fewer today evidently because of this being a holiday weekend. Thankfully, our Lord provided all of this food for those in the park.
Towards the end of the outreach a man came over to a group of us (which included homeless individuals) and he began to preach. He looked like he was probably homeless, but I'm not positive. One thing I know is that he was the first man among the usual Sunday crowds of poor and homeless who was led to really, truly preach the word of God. The homeless around him listened intently! He had courage and passion and a heart for the precious truths of God's word. Before my eyes, I witnessed this as an answer to prayer that God would raise up preachers and teachers of God's word from among the homeless to fearlessly proclaim the whole Gospel in the streets of DC. I love the idea of such "uneducated and untrained men" (see Acts 4:13) being used to do mighty works for the Lord thus maximizing the glory that redounds to God (who does not share His glory with another according to Isaiah 42:8). God only knows if it will be this man or some other who will take up this mission.
Praise God, to whom all praise is due. "His Truth is marching on!"
Thanks to God, today was a blessed day of ministering to the homeless and destitute in Washington, DC.
Prior to beginning the sermon, a homeless man we met several years ago named James resurfaced and offered to hand out lunch tickets. James approached me with a smile from ear to ear saying, "Remember me?" and while I had forgotten his name, I definitely remembered his face. He not only handed out the lunch tickets, he helped distribute clothing as well. He was an integral member of our team today and we thank God for him, not only for his help, but for how the Lord has worked in his life to lead him to serve Christ this way.
Scripture for my sermon today, titled "How to Recognize Antichrists and How to Respond to Them", was taken from 1 John and 2 John. Under the inspiration of God, John writes, "Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come... Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ [Messiah]? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son" (1 John 2:18,22). I gave my listeners the same test God gives us to know whether a teacher is of God or not: "Every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world" (1 John 4:3). Many of these false teachers will come in the name of God and may even stand with Christians on issues of the day such as abortion and homosexual marriage. They may undoubtedly come under that ambiguous title, "men of faith." Consequently, we can only know whether a person is antichrist by determining whether he believes that Jesus is the Messiah, the fully divine Son of God come in the flesh. I concluded with God's directions for Christians regarding an antichrist: "Do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds" (2 John 10-11). In other words, Christians are to completely disassociate with those who actively propagate the evil lie that Jesus is not the Messiah who came in the flesh to die for the sins of the world. I hope and pray this message will better equip those in the park to face the antichrists that have influence here in Washington, DC, whether through TV, radio, local "places of worship", or through their presence in the park.
Those in the park today were blessed with two different home-cooked Asian dishes that served upwards of a hundred meals today. Louise and her daughters brought chicken stir-fry and Ruth brought Chop Chae and Rice, which her mother helped her make. We also served approximately 14 gallons of cold beverages today. I got the sense that we could have served 10 more gallons and pray for the same as we get deeper into the hot DC summer. We could also use some bananas...
Louise also brought the complete wardrobe of a friend she knows from her gym. He decided to give it away after he lost 130 pounds and God used him, an unbeliever, to bless many in the park today (especially the really big guys) in Jesus' name. "Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" (Colossians 3:17). A brother in Christ from our church also donated four pairs of loafers and dress shoes that were in good shape. They also were big, size 13. One homeless man was new to the outreach and was able to snag the nicest pair in the bunch. He was extremely thankful and I told him that the Lord had blessed him. He agreed and quickly asked whether we came to the park every Sunday and indicated he wanted to come as often as he could. He had listened intently through the entire sermon as well.
Our dear friend Paul approached me again today with great encouragement. He is a confessing brother in Christ; I believe he is homeless. He is really watching the spiritual progress of those in the park and encourages us to keep up what we are doing. We thank God for this particular gift of encouragement. Where would the church of Jesus Christ be without encouragers?
Larry, whom I mentioned last time, hung around with us after the outreach was complete. Larry is homeless, recently released from prison, and a brother in Christ. He loves Jesus Christ and has a humility about him that must only come through the chastisement the good Lord has put him through. He enjoyed talking with us about the Lord and the application of His word to life. We thank God for these types of friendships, in which we have a much better sense of the Scripture that says all brothers and sisters in Christ are one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).
Thank you Lord, for this ministry of the Gospel.
Today we were blessed with perfect weather, an impassioned sermon from Ron, a home-cooked meal from Mike Lee and friends and clothes from Tom "the clothes man" Malloy.
I arrived late so I'm short on details. Ron preached on the Balaam's error (Numbers 22-25; Jude 11) and its relation to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We served about 130 meals consisting of chicken, rice and green beans. We also had cold water for all. All of this was done in the midst of a sunny day here in Washington, DC.
My only story concerns Larry. We've known Larry for some time now. He approached me and said he was looking for me and gave me a warm, strong handshake (Larry is a big guy). He said he had been missing for a while because he had to go be with his mom who was dying and has now died. He said he did not do it for the blessing, but because he loved his mom. He said he had already been blessed because he woke up today. We hear that a lot from our Christian friends who live on the street, that they are blessed every day they wake up with their senses.
"Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!"
The above saying of Christ comes to mind when I think of today's outreach at McPherson Square Park.
The day began in a unique way as a majority of the lunch line formed in the shade of a tree and circled around so that all were within earshot of us. The normal city noise and a heckler here or there were absent. When I prayed to open the outreach, multiple men in line immediately "shooshed" anyone who was talking.
I preached on the last of the beatitudes, in which Jesus said that we are blessed if we are persecuted for righteousness' sake and for His sake (Matthew 5:10-11). Also John 3:20; Ephesians 5:8-14; 2 Corinthians 2:15- 16; John 15:18-19; James 4:4). Christians are not to respond in kind [when persecuted], but to "bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you" (Matt 5:44). Ultimately, I encouraged my listeners (as I am often encouraged) by the story of the apostles who rejoiced after being arrested and beaten simply for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Acts 5:40-42).
Afterward, a man whom I've seem in our weekly outreaches for some time now, Paul is his name, approached me and told me that we might not know it, but many of the men in the park look forward to our ministry each week as a time for their spirits to be fed the word of God. I thanked him for the encouragement and praised God.
Another man in line was noticeably frustrated and asked me whether he could retaliate if someone came and hit him over the head and stole his wallet. I encouraged him to ask questions and to think about what I was saying (I rejoiced to see that he was listening to our sermons and weighing God's word in his own mind!). I spoke to him for a while and tried to bring the word of God to bear on his question.
Another man standing next to him said that he was angry with all the churches and was giving up. He had apparently left a church recently and was clearly venting, but not in a violent way. His name is Kim Johnson. We spoke for some time. Towards the end of the outreach, he called me over to him and starting telling me that he was sick of living the way he had been living and that he had finally realized all of his life's problems (including drug addiction) were his own fault—that he was the problem. He asked me how to get right. I told him to confess his sins to God and trust Christ and His sacrifice on the cross for forgiveness of his sins. We prayed. He was led to check himself into a Salvation Army drug rehabilitation program. I gave him a Bible and asked him to read through the Gospel of John and pray each morning while he is in the program before he does anything else.
Later, I spoke with Anne and Jerri, who had all sorts of praise reports as well. They were ministering to one of the few women in the park, Kristine, who was beginning to turn from her sins and trust Christ. They also reported that many were eager to hear the word of God today and that fruit was becoming evident in major ways. Perhaps the revival I've been praying for among the homeless is beginning to take place.
Lunch: Ruth brought tasty homemade meatballs, Ron and Deanna brought pizza and Brian and Renee brought cake. Close to 100 meals were served. We also handed out two full bags of clothing. Micah manned the ticket collection and shared Christ and the truths of Scripture with men in line. Surely, there are other stories my two eyes and ears and limited memory did not catch today.
We are not the only ministry God is using in the park. At times, we've seen Gospel choirs come down and sing to the homeless and preach to the homeless. Many do not know this, but I'm told by many of the veteran homeless that before this ministry even began, there used to be a man who would drive down from Pennsylvania with the word of God, clothing and food. He did this apparently for approximately three years until God called him elsewhere. Suffice it to say that God has been doing a work in McPherson Square Park for some time now and we are just blessed to see some of the fruit.
"So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase" (1 Cor 3:7).
"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us" (2 Cor 4:7).
A man whom I've never seen before was standing on the sidewalk and seemed to nod his head at me once I pulled into a parking space. He truly seemed to be waiting for us to arrive. He soon asked if I needed help. He proceeded to help me unload the table, supply bin, Bibles, 5-gallon drink cooler and other items. Towards the end of the outreach, he seemed eager to help reload the equipment and asked me two or three times if we were ready (each time being too early). He must have left the park by the time we actually reloaded; however, he never asked for money as is usually the case. While we were setting up, he proclaimed to me how today was blessed and each day he wakes up is a blessing from God.
Another man whom I've seen many times in our outreach approached me to say 'hi'. He told me that he had purchased food last night to be eaten for his lunch today and that someone stole it from his bedside at a nearby homeless shelter during the night. He could not believe this, but admitted he had always heard that this had happened to others. I reminded him of how only fools believe that, "Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant" (Proverbs 9:17). He in fact said that he had wrestled before with the temptation to steal food when he was hungry, but was to helped defeat such temptation by his relationship with the One who feeds the birds of the air (Matthew 6:26). He said that in such cases, he had prayed that God would provide food to him to satisfy his need and that his prayers have worked time and again. He said some people don't believe in prayer, but he does.
Ron preached a message from John 8:31-32, focusing on true freedom in Christ and contrasting it with the false freedom promised by those false teachers who are themselves "slaves of their own depravity" (2 Peter 2:19) who would turn the "grace of God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ" (Jude v. 4). Ron illustrated false freedom with the Israelites who, though liberated from their social bondage, showed their bondage to sin in their worshipping the golden calf (Exodus 32). Ron turned his listeners attention to the good news of deliverance from the universal form of bondage—bondage to sin (Galatians 3:22)—through Christ's shed blood at Calvary.
Tom Malloy brought several bags filled with clothes today, many of which were brand new. Tom also brought his parents who were visiting DC. Just like Tom, his parents dived right into serving Christ with us and encouraged us all with their words. Ruth also brought ice cream and ice cream cones. Renee and Brian brought assorted desserts and Louise brought homemade brownies. Yes, there was a main course that did not primarily consist of sugar: pizza! One man in line with a strange demeanor but frequently witty comments asked me if we are "nutritionists in Jesus' name." He may have had a point :) We were able to bless the men and few women with over 15 gallons of cold water and juice.
David is the homeless guy I've mentioned lately as being a man who seems to be doing a 180-degree turn (for the better) in his demeanor. Today was no exception. He was in the park today not as a recipient of food and clothing, but as an employee of a private contractor on some projects in the park. David did not know the contractor prior to today, but David apparently approached the contractor and asked him if he could work for him. The contractor not only let David work for him today, but he offered him more work. David told me that he wanted to act upon this blessing from God rather than let it slip through his fingers. He said that he appreciated us bringing food and the Word to him and the others each week and wanted to start acting upon all of the blessings he's received. He said he was driven to get to the point where he could support himself with his own two hands. This was the same guy who used to regularly assault our ministry in various ways. This really seems to be a work of God, not just an attitude change. We pray it is so.
Yesterday's Gospel outreach to the homeless in McPherson Square Park was blessed. As always, the God who gives us our daily bread gave us just the right amount of workers including one man, Brad, who joined Ron and myself. The rest of the six or so workers were women, a good number of whom were new, and they helped tremendously.
Upon my arrival to the park, when I was the only outreach worker present, a handful of homeless, some of whom I did not recognize, came over to my vehicle to help me unload. This happens almost without fail.
My prayer was like that of Paul, that, "utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel" (Ephesians 6:19). I preached from the Beatitudes once again, this time focusing on Christ's teaching, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." I taught that the height of peacemaking is preaching the Gospel, for only the Gospel makes it possible for a person to have peace with their Maker so that they might obtain the greatest peace known, the "peace of God, which surpasses all understanding." I also reminded my listeners of how obedience to God's transcendent law, much of which is found in the Sermon on the Mount, tends to promote peace in society. However, I pointed out that even perfect obedience to God's law including telling others of the good news about Jesus Christ is not guaranteed to promote societal peace and that we need look no further than the murder of Christ on the cross to understand this truth. As Christ said, "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are no of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you" (John 15:18-19). We trust God's word will not return void.
Ruth brought homemade BBQ chicken and a side of steamed vegetables to go along with our standard fare of pizza. Many homeless seemed to be hungry. It seems that the higher the temperature gets and the nicer the weather, the fewer the organizations that come to the park with food for the homeless. Moreover, the homeless seem more desperate for clothing in the warmer months since many are working again in outdoor jobs, sweating and getting dirty, and need basics like underwear, T-shirts and socks. Fortunately, a friend from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania recently donated dozens of new underwear, T-shirts and socks to the ministry. We distributed these items yesterday and many were grateful. I was sure to tell the homeless that these clothes had come a long way as proof that all the blessings they might receive at our hands are truly from the hand of the omnipotent God of heaven and earth, and that we are just vessels.
Tina is a homeless woman whom we've known for many years now. She had been missing from the park for several months until yesterday. She said that she had been cleaned up from her drug abuse and had gone through some program. While this sounded good, I was a little saddened to see her in the park again, for all the bad influences that dogged her before were still there. Early on, when I was busy with something else, she asked me to read "The Lord is my Shepherd" to her because she could not find it in her Bible. I told her I would do it later when I could. Later, she was fighting with several of the men and I decided that was a good time for Psalm 23. I took her aside and read it to her. She had some questions in the beginning and then as I got about half way through she began reciting it from memory. This seemed to calm her down and get her mind off the fighting like nothing else could. Praise God.
Thomas sat right behind me during my sermon. He had a cigarette in one hand in and a beer in the other. Once I finished, he came to me with tears in his eyes and thanked me for feeding his soul with the word of God. He said that he was a work in progress over and over again as he thanked me and apologized for our disagreement the week before. I asked him to pour his beer out but he said he was not ready. He says that he is a child of God. I don't know if he is. I prayed for him that God would help him out of the mire he's in. Please pray for Thomas. He seems to be on a course that is not good for him physically or spiritually.
David is another one of the homeless whom we've known for a long time. He used to get easily angered against us for no reason at all. He has been a usual suspect for making trouble in the park. Even still, for the past several months, I have been noticing changes in his demeanor. He remembers key points about my life and the lives of some of the others who work the outreach. Yesterday, he came over during lunch and began to help clean up, saying he might as well do something useful. This is amazing! Is David saved you might ask? Is he a fruit of our ministry? I don't know. "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter see on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how" (Mark 4:26-27). "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8). "So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase" (1 Corinthians 3:7). Amen.
It's with much thanksgiving that I write today as I was privileged to bear witness to our God's wonderworking power at McPherson Square Park today.
We were all helped greatly by a dear brother in Christ, Drake Ferguson. Drake expressed to me that he wanted to give back to the Lord having received so much from Him and that he was led to do this by helping those who live on the streets. When Drake and I got to the park around 1:45 (15 minutes late), there were no other workers there. I began to wonder whether this would be the first time we were shorthanded. However, Ron and Deanna arrived shortly after we arrived and then Jerri and Ruth arrived. We had a quorum, but without Drake, it would have been difficult. Ron reminded me that this happens quite often: some new workers come to the outreach and say they had been planning on coming for months and just happened to be able and led to come on some particular day and we turn out being utterly dependent on their services that day.
The man at the front of the food line got out a pair of pants, spread them out on the ground and sat down on them saying that he was getting ready for "church." He said that we were "dependable" and was thankful for that. Another man thanked me for my prior teaching from Mark 7 on the origins of wickedness. He said that he used to think that the evil that he and others did was caused by outside influences, but that through my teaching on Mark 7, he realized that wickedness is inborn in the heart of all men and women. He said that other parts of the Bible have made more sense now that he understands this.
Rain was in the forecast today. Some drops actually lightly sprinkled us as Ron preached the word of God. Several men in line let out panicked heckles and complaints while Ron preached and the raindrops threatened, saying that he should speed up and let everyone eat before the rain began to pour. However, the rain never really got out of the starting gate, as many of us prayed that it would not, and many other men eagerly received the word of God. It's interesting how the raindrops pressed people to consider what is most important to them. The rain caused some to panic that they would not get food. Others were oblivious to the rain as they imbibed the eternal word of God.
Ron preached on how to look behind a man's words to their deeds in order to have a better certainty of whether he is actually a child of God, born again of the Holy Spirit. Drawing from rich texts such as 1 John 2:3-4 and James 2:14-26, Ron encouraged those who have proven their repentance by their deeds (Acts 26:20; Romans 1:5), and challenged those whose profession of Christ did not match up with their obedience to God's word (see 1 Peter 2:7-8). Indeed, many in the park profess to be Christian, but far fewer exhibit signs of being born, "not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:13).
We served a lunch of Pizza brought by Ron and Deanna, homemade barbeque meatballs from Ruth, hamburger helper and rice from the kind church down the street and freshly baked whole chickens brought by Dianna. We served approximately 130 meals.
At one point, one of the homeless approached me and asked for our address so that he and others could send us a card thanking us for our ministry in the park. Apparently, a group of them had decided to do this for all of the churches that come to the park.
We thank God and our Savior Jesus Christ for making this ministry of reconciliation possible. Please pray that He would continue to guide us according to His word in helping the "least of these".
"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech" (Psalm 19:1-2).
The goodness of Jehovah was made manifest in so many ways today, not just in the weather. We had a handful of married couples who are new to the ministry come alongside us today to help us serve the physical and spiritual needs of the "least of these" at McPherson Square Park. A good number of regular workers also came to the park to help the "least of these" and to confirm the word of God through loving deeds.
The line for lunch formed quite quickly with dozens of men and a few women, many of whom knew that they would have to wait to eat lunch while they "ate" of the word of God, without which man cannot live (see Matthew 4:4). I continued to preach from the Beatitudes, this time focusing on Christ's teaching that, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (5:8). Afterward, I had one man come up to me holding a lunch ticket on which he has scribbled some of the Bible verses I had cited. He asked me to give him the books, chapters and verses for some of the citations that he missed. Of course, I did this gladly.
We served lunch to over 120 people today. The married couples who joined us had cooked enough homemade chili to feed everyone. We also served pizza to some latecomers, along with fruit, lemonade and water. It was a joy to see these couples serving the Lord together.
I was struck by my conversation with one woman in particular today. We have known her for a couple of years. When we first saw her in one of our outreaches, she seemed out of her mind and literally self- destructing. Today, she listened to our instructions to her as we distributed clothes and she asked me what happened to the cross (which, has fallen apart and is out of commission). She listened to me as I spoke about a particular passage of Scripture and commented back with thoughtful analysis. I don't know the causes for this. One fellow said she must have been on her "meds," but when a crazy lady starts to inquire of spiritual and Christian things and exhibit self-control, I see that as perhaps a work of the Lord. "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how" (Mark 4:26-27). This was the second week in a row when I was confronted with a homeless person who formerly was plain crazy, possessed even, but now in their right mind and talking about Jesus. What God is this who redeems the poor, the maimed, the lame and the blind? (Luke 14:21) Jehovah is His name, and there is no other God besides Him.
We thank God for this day of work for Him and His kingdom. We look forward to seeing Him one day, clothed with the righteousness that we received by faith through Jesus Christ, the one and only person who ever walked this earth with a pure heart.
Dozens of homeless men and women formed a line before we began. We can never be sure if those who get in line for the sermon do so because they are really hungry or because they are truly eager to hear the word of God. Today, the Lord put those in line to the test, for just before I began to preach, another group showed up with lunch. About half the men immediately abandoned our line and went to get lunch knowing that they would miss the sermon. I announced that we would begin as we always do with the "bread from heaven," our Lord Jesus Christ. I told them that we viewed them as God did, as men and women with precious souls that needed to be fed with spiritual food, not as just stomachs to feed and bodies to clothe. Those who remained in line made known their concurrence.
I preached from the Beatitudes once again, focusing this time on Christ's teaching, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy" (Matthew 5:7). God's law requires all people to practice mercy (Matthew 23:23; 12:7), but the reality that no one has ever practiced mercy as God requires (Romans 3:10-18), save Christ (Hebrews 4:15). The Gospel is the answer, or the "fuel" for the life characterized by the Beatitudes. I pointed to the Philippian jailer as an example of a man who at one time in his life did not practice mercy and put Paul and Silas in the stocks in prison (Acts 16), but then practiced mercy by washing Paul and Silas's wounds after he had come to believe in the supreme act of mercy of all time, God the Father's sacrifice of His one and only begotten Son.
After I finished, one man came forward and addressed the entire line by giving a quick evangelistic appeal. He was a little hard to understand because he was missing a good number of teeth. He eventually told me that his name was Dr. Cardwell from Baltimore. Apparently, he was a minister of the Gospel at one time in his life. He apologized for taking over my place, but I assured him that our only goal is that the Gospel is preached.
We had tons of food today for lunch. Louise brought homemade pasta and meat sauce, Ruth brought homemade [buffalo] chicken wings and the Blevins brought twenty or so pizzas. We served well over 100 meals today.
Tom Malloy dropped off several bags of new and used clothes and shoes donated by a local church. We were able to hand out shirts, pants, shorts and tennis shoes to a good number of men. This was a team effort with several folks behind the front lines sorting the clothes and shoes by size and type and with those on the front lines matching up with homeless one-by-one to ensure that each received clothing or shoes as needed.
Before we left the park, Dr. Cardwell took off his cowboy boots, barely used, and donated them to the ministry. I'm not sure if he was homeless or not. He eventually left by praying God's blessing upon us. What an interesting man, this brother in Christ.
Above all of this, need I mention the beautiful day that the Lord gave all of us in DC today? The blue sky, fluffy white clouds, warm sun and temperate breezes, bright colored tulips, green grass and trees and smiles of all those filled with the joy of the Lord all declared the glory of God today at McPherson Square Park.
With rain clouds looming, many of us lifted up petitions to God that He would keep the rain from the park. God answered these prayers very clearly for while it was definitely chilly it never rained more than a sprinkle!
We began with Ron preaching on the satanic origin of all spirituality that leaves out the Gospel of Jesus Christ as preached and taught by the Apostles and as recorded for us in the Bible. He warned his listeners (many of whom are exposed to many of the anti-Christian influences of our day in the media and religious institutions) that they must test all of the spirits by the word of God and reject those that fail the test. It's such a privilege to preach the truth to hungry souls!
Speaking of hungry souls, I was told today by yet another homeless person that many of the homeless in the park who come to our outreaches come to hear the word of God, not just to receive the food and clothing. I suppose I should not be surprised, for the homeless know that we will serve them lunch whether they listen to the sermon or not and they know that we almost never run out of food, yet many line up each Sunday to hear the word of God.
Jari was the homeless person who reiterated this to me today. I first met Jari and her two twenty-something sons a couple of years ago. One son, Joey, has continued to come to our outreaches through the years not only to have lunch but to listen to the preaching. Jari told me that she and Joey and others were recently talking over one of my recent sermons amongst themselves and have an interest in the substance of our preaching week after week. Jari's other son, Niki, is in 90-day detoxification unit in DC after committing a crime while on "crystal meth." We had no different approach towards Joey and Niki. Both heard the word of God, yet only one received it and is letting it take root in his life (Matthew 13:18-23). We have no control over this part of our ministry. "Even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing" (2 Corinthians 4:3). All we can do and will continue to do, with God's grace, is proclaim the forgiveness of sins that is found in Jesus Christ and in none other (Acts 4:12).
We were able to hand out new hand towels to all who had a need along with a few T-shirts. We are not sure who brought these items and set them behind our table, but there's nothing new about this. Week after week, we receive anonymous clothing donations like this. We also were able to serve hot pizza and hot sides of vegetables on this chilly April day. Derek brought the pizzas and Ruth brought the homemade vegetables. One other thing Jari mentioned to me was that our Gospel message was not only helpful, but that the lunches we serve are tasty. We thank God for laying it on our hearts years ago through His word to strive for offering "unblemished sacrifices" to God in the lunches that we serve. After all, Christ taught that we are actually serving Him when we feed and cloth the poor (Matthew 25:40). We who are unfit to untie a sandal strap on Christ's shoes are blessed indeed to be able to serve Him this way! Oh, and to see Him face to face one day.
Today was another successful day of labor at McPherson Square Park in spite of a series of obstacles-I say "successful" because the gospel was preached to the poor, the hungry were fed, and clothing was handed out, all to the glory of God.
The obstacles included above-normal traffic, culinary miscalculations by me, Ron being sick, and our serving tables being mistakenly commandeered for a painting project by the homeless mission where we store them. All of the leaders including myself were running late. However, our God called His servants Jerri, Anne, Louise, Christina, Scott, Micah and others to meet in the park at our usual time. It was a blessing for me to see their smiles and hear their praises for God when I arrived.
Derek preached on the teachings of Jesus centering on forsaking all things for His sake (Luke 14:33). Derek exhorted his listeners to let go of whatever sin they are holding onto that separates them from God. At one point, Derek used Abraham's intent to sacrifice his son Isaac for the sake of God as an illustration of being willing to forsake all things for God. He then asked his listeners if there was a similar example in the Bible of a father sacrificing his son and one homeless man quickly responded by pointing to God the Father sacrificing His one and only begotten Son on the cross. Derek used this opportunity to preach Christ crucified. When we were serving lunch, the man who answered Derek's question commented that he was grateful for the food and knew that God appointed us to bring it to the park and had given us the means to do so. He thanked God for the food.
We must have served close to 200 individual plates today. Ruth prepared enough pasta salad to feed upwards of 50 to 75 people. A local church provided approximately 25 meals of Asian cuisine. Suzy and I prepared chicken stir-fry for 100 or so. The Blevins prepared enough rice to go with all of the stir-fry and Asian food. Someone else brought loads of tasty brownies; I think this was Louise, Eni and Bianca. Finally, Christina brought cold water donated by Starbucks across the street and coffee. This was truly a team effort led by one Master!
At one point, Ken, our longtime friend, approached Anne and I and told us his back hurt. We had prayed for his arm some time ago and he acknowledged that God healed it. We put our hands on him and prayed that God would heal his back.
We thank God, "who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). Please join us in thanking and praising God.
While we had a slow start due to major traffic all around DC (for a variety of reasons including this being the last weekend of the Cherry Blossom Festival), enough people eventually arrived as is always the case by God’s grace.
We began with my preaching on Matthew 5:5, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” The lunch line was long and many heard the word of God.
Ron and Deanna Blevins brought pizza. We are still getting 20 large pizzas per outreach from a Pizza Hut in Northern Virginia at an excellent price. Not only that, this Pizza Hut donated a handful of thermal bags that will keep the pizzas hot during transport and prior to being served. Brian and Renee Thomas brought homemade cakes and much encouragement. Tina brought socks and tracts about Jesus. Ruth brought Burger King coupons for burgers and the like and someone brought a case of fresh baby carrots. We served lunch to over 100 men and a few women.
A homeless man approached us and said that he was not worried that he would get enough to eat. He said he was sure of “God’s goodness.”
Another man repeatedly asked me for a Bible as I was busy collecting lunch tickets. He finally told me he would where he would be in the park and asked me to bring a Bible to him when I could. I did just that and he was grateful! Apparently, we had given him a Bible before but he gave it to his girlfriend. He said he was reluctant to give it away, even to his girlfriend, but he knew it was the right thing to do. As he paged through the Bible, he said that he felt much better.
I saw another man standing under a tree by himself intently reading through a Bible we had just given him!
Keith, another homeless man whom I’ve known for several years now, repeatedly acknowledged to me that the only purpose that made life worth living was that of serving the living God. He also mentioned that he was saving up “pennies and coins” so that he could send it to his home church in Jamaica. Keith is homeless and thousands of miles away from the church he grew up in, yet he is strong in the Lord Jesus Christ, amazingly strong!
We trust that God’s word will not return void today from McPherson Square Park. As the children sing in Sunday school, “Rejoice, rejoice, and again I say rejoice!” As God says, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (Isaiah 64:4).
"Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead." - Acts 17:30-31
Greetings on this Resurrection Day! Jesus Christ was crucified, buried and raised from the dead on the third day thereafter and reigns, even today, at the right hand of God the Father making constant intercession for God's elect.
God blessed the homeless outreach at McPherson Square Park today. Derek preached about repentance. The above scripture reveals a connection between repentance and the Resurrection of Christ.
Ron and Deanna cooked Easter hams, along with corn and green beans. We also served parsley potatoes and juice. By all accounts the homeless were blessed by the meal. We had many new workers today, which was a tremendous blessing.
Larry, who's in and out of living on the street, returned today to help hand out tickets. On their second week serving with us, Natalie and Nathan braved a first-hand role in clothing distribution. I think Tom Malloy brought all of the clothes, but am not sure about that. Each week, almost without fail and without coordination, clothing donations show up at the outreaches. We distributed many new T-shirts and socks, along with some jeans and sweaters and jackets.
A young homeless man approached me and handed me a bar of soap. This was no ordinary bar of soap, for an image of Christ and His cross were meticulously carved into it; it's truly a work of art. The young man (Steven is his name) said that this was a gift from many of them on the street who appreciate our coming to the park every week. I later found out that he started carving bars of soap while in prison. Richard, another homeless man standing nearby had some questions about Mormons and expressed his belief that they were Christians. Steven, who was apparently educated at a Bible college of some sort, quickly corrected Richard and explained some of the issues with Mormonism. At this moment, I saw our ministry's long-term vision: to disciple those living on the street so that they proceed to engage in ministry on their own.
Kern, whom I've mentioned before in this Living Water Minute, spoke to me about the hope of heaven today. One thing is becoming clear to me: he has the hope of salvation and glory in his heart. He told me that he looks forward to seeing all the people he wants to be with and his little "puppy dog" in heaven. I love to hear unsophisticated Kern talk about Christ and His gospel each week. "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise" (1 Corinthians 1:27).
While I preached for a while I noticed a man listening intently, and I was led to talk to him. He said people call him Chico. Chico said that God saved his life twice and praised God as the only God, and Jesus Christ as his Savior. He talked about how the world is a mess not because of God, but because of people. He said he has a hope of heaven because of Jesus Christ.
I also had a long talk with Zand, a thirty-year-old man who has been on the street for almost a year. Zand seemed to be on his way back to the Father. He acknowledged that all of the mess in his life was his own fault. He said he had been praying for God to help him turn his life around and get a job and get off the street. He testified that God had recently answered his prayers and got him into a free job-training program at a local Baptist church, that he had a night job washing dishes and that a friend had promised him a room for very low rent once he received his first paycheck. He said he had to get rid of his idle time, get away from his sinning friends, and that he was in the process of being reconciled to many he had offended with his sins. I pray that God keeps Zand and leads him in a way everlasting.
Now, this is all just my perspective. There were upwards of 15 people today working the park as ambassadors of Christ.
At 1:30 pm [the regular beginning time for our outreach], it was just me and five gallons of Tang, so I began to wonder whether this might be the first Sunday in the outreach's history when we did not have enough workers for the outreach. However, my doubting was thwarted by our Lord as Renee and Brian showed up, then Brad, then Ron and Deanna, Derek, Anne, Peter and others. Soon, we had more than enough workers to operate the outreach, and by the end, there were many new workers offering helping hands.
Soon also, the homeless began to assemble and form a line. We began the outreach with a sermon from God's word as we always begin. With the church's celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ just around the corner, I preached from the fifteen chapter of 1 Corinthians, in which there is an abundance of God's truth on this subject. After I was finished, I walked down the line of homeless and one man, Kern, whom I've known for several years now, said that he knows that the law does not require that we come down to the park every Sunday, but that we do because of God. He said that he is convinced that we are having an impact on the homeless community in the area of McPherson Square Park and that he can see differences. He talked about how the devil blinds people in the world from seeing and understanding God's truth.
Another homeless man, David, told me that even though he has been angry with us at times (when, for example, he tried to cut in line to get clothes and we kicked him out of line), that he always appreciates when I deliver the word of God. Kern and David are very different from the man who upon hearing I would bring a message concerning Jesus Christ, walked off in a boisterous outburst of anger, or the jogger who took off his earphones for a moment to hear me talk about how Christians not only desire forgiveness of sins but the righteousness of God, but then continued on his way dissatisfied.
"For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life... we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ" (2 Corinthians 2:15-17).
Renee and Brian and others brought desserts. I think there might have been upwards of three sources of assorted sweets. Christina and Jen brought coffee and cold water. Ron and Deanna brought pizza. Jerri brought [much-needed] toiletries and, I believe some clothes. Warren and Casey brought clothes gathering from different sources. Ken brought tracts. Another woman, a new worker, brought lentil soup. To my knowledge, none of this was coordinated except for Ron and Deanna agreeing last night to pick up the pizzas.
Pictures in my mind from this outreach include seeing Peter, a relatively new worker, praying for a homeless man, seeing Nathan and Natalie, brand new workers, gently and persistently talking about Christ with an older homeless man who is hostile to Christ at times, seeing Warren and Casey, who used to work with us many months ago, reuniting with their old friend Ken, who is homeless, seeing Ken, a new worker, show up with shirt pockets full of Gospel tracts, and hearing Marcus, who's sleeping in his friend's van these days, talk about how much he enjoys hearing the word of God during our outreaches. The Spirit of God was in charge today, leading all these people and more to spend their Sunday afternoons with the rejects of society for the glory of God and His Christ. We trust and pray their labors will not be in vain.
"Moreover brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you,
which also you received and in which you stand,
by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you -unless you believed in vain.
For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received:
that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures
and that He was buried,
and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures
and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.
After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles.
Then last of all He was seen by me" (1 Corinthians 15:1-8).
We rejoice over the mighty deeds the LORD of heaven and earth wrought this day, even in McPherson Square Park.
Ron was used by God to deliver a powerful sermon that drew from the above Scripture. He contrasted God's wisdom as revealed in the Bible with "human wisdom" that is rooted in those two old lies of the devil that if we disobey God's word we will be as wise as God and that we will surely not die, each of which in some form or another has led millions today to deny the deity of Christ, the crucifixion of Christ, and/or the Resurrection of Christ. He reminded us that true deliverance from eternal perdition is only for those who genuinely believe that God raised Christ from the dead (Romans 10:9). As Paul said a little bit later in the fifteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians, "If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!" (v. 17). Any "faith" that is not rooted in our risen Lord Christ is a futile faith that plays right into the hands of the father of all lies. I praise God for the seeds that were sown today for a harvest of salvation in McPherson Square Park. We were also grateful for our conversations with some of the homeless about the gospel and spiritual matters. I'm constantly amazed at how interested the homeless are in hearing from the Bible!
We are grateful that the LORD raised up just enough laborers today to get our job done. Heather and her mom Colleen came to serve Christ with us today and jumped right into handing out hot slices of pizza. Jerri, Anne and Christina served the drinks. God has used Christina to bring hot Starbucks coffee to the park for many weeks now. We were also blessed to be able to hand out new underwear and socks that were donated to us by my brother-in-law's mother in Pittsburgh. She works at a Wal-Mart and is able to get free clothes that would otherwise be wasted; the LORD, who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, reaches far and wide in His provision for the "least of these" in the park. Jerri also brought clothing donations from her fellow employees at the U.S. Postal Service-now that's a faith-based initiative! As Job said so long ago to God, "I know that You can do everything and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You" (Job 42:2).
The LORD also led Peter and Brad down to the outreach today to help us in our labors. "A man's heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps" (Proverbs 16:9).
Please join us this day in our celebration of this ministry of the LORD in McPherson Square Park in which we are blessed to be His vessels. Please pray for God to revive His church in DC.
Once again, the LORD raised up laborers and all the "fixings" for the outreach at McPherson Square Park today.
Derek preached on the perils that faced the Israelites during the 40 years in the desert and how all of us should take heed. He spoke of the promised land that is the hope of all who put their faith in Jesus Christ rather than the many idols of this fallen world. We trust and pray that the believers were strengthened and the unbelievers were challenged by Derek's words.
God raised up many new laborers today for the "harvest field" at McPherson Square Park. Some brought clothing, others brought food and still others brought the joy of the Lord to encourage all who have struggled throughout the week. Christina brought coffee and cake, Renee and Brian brought (more) homemade cakes and Ron and Deanna brought pizza. All told, there seemed to be more cake than pizza, which is quite a feat!
We pray for more laborers who are led to serve Christ Himself as they serve the "least of these" who live on the streets of DC. We pray that God would raise up an army of soldiers for Christ among the homeless who might give their lives to the cause of the Gospel here in DC or around the world. We pray all of this as Jesus taught us to pray, in Jesus' name, Amen.
"And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" (Colossians 3:17).
It's so hard sometimes not having ever seen our Lord Jesus, yet He has given many of us faith enough to believe in Him until that day when we will see Him face to face and bow the knee and worship him as God. As He said to Thomas, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29). If you are reading this and trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior, Jesus said this with you in mind.
In Jesus' name today, we shared the word of God with the poor in the park as well as a sandwich lunch prepared by Mike Grubbs and his friends, girl scout cookies brought by Cynthia, coffee from Christina and Jennifer and much fellowship and ambassadorship for Christ brought by other "co-laborers."
One man, Marcus, approached me and asked if I could help him get a Metrorail pass for the week which he could use to get to his new job in Fairfax doing masonry work. I asked him if he could wait until we were done with the outreach and he gladly obliged. Throughout my sermon Marcus listened intently and thanked Jesus aloud. After lunch, he helped us by carrying various ministry related items to and from vehicles. When I spoke with him, he indicated he just completed a drug rehabilitation program and had been drug-free for one week. Before I could probe his conception of who should get the credit, he said the LORD delivered him and continues to every day and that he can't get enough of God's word. He said he "feeds" on God's word every day and that my message was his third of the day (at 2:00 p.m.). As we walked to the Metro station, we talked about his job and about God. He said he knows the incredible value of meeting with the LORD in the morning and giving thanks as soon as he opens his eyes each day. From my standpoint, Marcus is literally living on the Bread from Heaven and is being filled to the brim by God, who is faithful. We prayed before he left to get in line at a local homeless shelter. He said that he wants so much to receive the "crown of righteousness" of which Paul spoke (2 Timothy 4:8).
There was a significant number of poor in the park today who were talking among themselves about God and His word or talking to us. John, a brother in Christ living on the street whom we've known for years, bid me farewell by referring to me as "brother" for the first time I can recall. Paul, another formerly homeless guy who works along-side us now, continued to inquire about our new baby. He left us early to go and fix some broken furnaces for people for charity.
We continue to pray for fruit, just as Paul did: "that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Colossians 1:10), and trust that God will give the increase.
It was once again an honor for us to serve the living God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ at McPherson Square Park this afternoon.
Ron shared a message of timeless value regarding the preeminence of the eternal truth that is found in the Bible. At a time when many are saying, like Pontius Pilate, "What is truth?" Ron pointed out the only way to know the truth is to know the great "I AM" (Exodus 3:14) who does not need credentials, a birth certificate or science to prove His own authority and existence, who spoke the world into existence, who gave us His very word to reveal His plan for the redemption of His church and sent His Word incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ who is the truth by His own testimony.
Derek and Loa returned from a furlough of sorts to bring a lunch of pizza. Brian and Renee Thomas also blessed the outreach with homemade cakes, smiles and grace.
Jay Malanga continues to be a vessel for our LORD's blessings on the homeless as he brought several boxes of new sweatshirts, enough for all who had a need. We also were able to give away some blankets, socks, a winter jacket and other assorted items. Newcomers Cynthia and Leslie brought down some clothing and utensils for the benefit of the ministry. Overall, the men and few women were very thankful as the snow flurries began to fall and the temperature began to drop.
God also supplied a large number of "co-laborers" today who helped with the lunch, with the clothing distribution and with reaching out to the homeless on a individual basis. We pray for more folks who are able and led to reach out and touch the "least of these."
"Jesus answered, 'It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" (Matthew 4:4)
Today we were reminded of the above eternal truth, that man must "feed" on the word of God in order to truly live.
Sam Casey [our "special guest" Preacher today] reminded us of this fact as he began the outreach by preaching about this truth. We trust and pray the word would not return void in their lives. Sam also shared his true story involving a city park where an ambassador of Christ preached Christ to him and where he rejected Christ. It was not until the funeral for this ambassador that Sam actually began to take his words to his heart. "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit" (John 3:8). The Spirit moved today as Sam prayed a prayer of repentance and faith in Christ Jesus along with many of his listeners today. We are grateful for Sam's ministry to "all of us in the park of life."
Jennifer and her mom brought lasagnas, bread and Valentine's Day-themed cookies. This was their first time serving along side us! The meal went over great. Beginner's luck? There's no such thing. We know that even, "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD" (Proverbs 16:33). We thank Jennifer and her mom for making themselves available to be used by our great God and King.
Tom Malloy was the vessel for God's blessing upon many in the park today as he brought at least a dozen pairs of shoes to the park. Tom gets most of his clothes and shoes from Susan Wyant, who manages a clothing ministry at a local church in Mclean. Christ's words to Paul are still applicable to us today: "I have many people in this city" (Acts 18:10).
We had stacks of about 10 or so Bibles at the end of the lunch table and all but one were taken. We are grateful for this form of hunger and thirst. "As a deer pants for water, my soul pants for you O LORD."
We thank God for all of the "co-laborers" who joined us today and pray that they all might know the blessing of reaching out in mercy to those who need it, just as Christ has done for us. We know God has shown us mercy through Christ because "it is written."
God provided many "laborers" for the "field" today, several of whom were first-timers. We are grateful for the help and enthusiasm of these volunteers.
A substantial line of homeless and others had formed by the time Derek led us in prayer to begin the outreach. We have been continually amazed at this, for everyone who has ever witnessed the outreach knows that it might be upwards of a half hour before lunch will be served and that most often, there is enough food to go around even if a person doesn't get a place in line. In other words, people gather to hear the word of God.
Today, I preached about the disease of the human heart called sin, with which we are all born, and which is incurable (in human terms). Yet Jeremiah said, "Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed" (Jeremiah 17:14), following the well-known devastating indictment of the condition of the human heart from the mouth of Jeremiah, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and beyond cure" (verse 9). Indeed, I had the privilege of proclaiming that while we are born and even conceived with sinful hearts, we can be healed by Jesus Christ, of whom the Bible says, "By His stripes, we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24). Although my sermon was lengthy, I saw very little signs of weariness in those in line throughout the sermon and know that this was a sign of the work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts and minds of the listeners.
Ron and Deanna brought pizzas. We had much left over even though we were able to feed at least sixty people until they were completely full. We thank God for His provision for our physical needs, especially after many in line had first sought the kingdom of heaven by hearing and digesting the word of the Lord. "Seek first the kingdom of God and all of these things will be added unto you as well." Christina brought coffee once again and we are grateful for that. Tom and Jerri brought clothing. We handed out many pairs of shoes and boots.
God continues to work through Jay Malanga, His servant, as Jay was able to donate four military-issue winter sleeping bags to the ministry. This raised a quandary: these sleeping bags were worth $300 each in Jay's estimation and could easily be sold by someone who wanted to get cash to purchase drugs. If we simply announced to all the men in the park that we had them, the strongest and most forceful of the group might get the bags even though they did not need them and had ulterior motives. If we just remained silent, we might not be able to get the bags to the people who truly needed them. We prayed over all of this and asked God to put the bags in the needy hands. Well, today, before we even showed the sleeping bags to anyone, one man, Gary, asked me humbly and with meekness if we had any bags. I told him that the LORD had provided for him today. Another man whom we've seen in the outreach for years and who is very quiet and literally has a look of fear and anxiety on his face all the time, spoke to me directly from a distance and asked me if we had any more bags. I told him that the LORD had provided for him today. Then I saw a good friend in the line who goes by the name "Rapper D" and loves Jesus. He was carrying a couple of tattered blankets that looked like his bedding. I asked him if he could use a sleeping bag and he said yes indeed! At this point, the bags and our handing them out were clearly within view of all in the line, yet none asked about them aside from these men. No one even charged unfairness, which giving a used pair of hiking boots normally might incite from men who did not receive them. Lastly, there was a group of men standing around the last bag, not really focusing on the bag. I went over and one (and only one) looked at me and said he's been sleeping outside and asked if he could have a bag. I told him that the LORD had provided for him today. No one else asked for a bag except for these four and it was pretty clear that they all needed bags. Praise God!
There was much prayer and interaction among those on the street and those with apartments, those in the body of Christ and those outside the body, those young and those old. God blessed this day by the work of the Holy Spirit, our Counselor and Comforter. From His making of the day with the sun, to His provision of the word of God and His Son Jesus Christ, to His shining the light of the Gospel of Jesus in our hearts when we were still dead in offenses against God, to the sleeping bags He provided for those who suffer in the cold, God provided all that was necessary for ministry today, and we thank and glorify Him.
Today was a blessed day at McPherson Square Park notwithstanding the cold, falling snow, and ice.
Ron and Deanna first arrived at the park and the only other person in the entire park was the "man with the red hat" who never leaves the bench in the middle. Much to their surprise however, homeless individuals started to depart the coverage of the Metro [subway] entrance and walk out into the park to greet Ron and Deanna. Also, some laborers started showing up to join the burgeoning crowd. There was no food or tables or boxes of clothes yet that might lure the homeless out into the park. They apparently just wanted to come over and say hi and maybe lend a hand!
Someone had a shovel and at least one homeless man used it to clear a space in the sidewalk just large enough for the outreach. Within a half hour of Ron and Deanna's arrival, at least 10 volunteers showed up and dozens of homeless were present.
Now, almost every homeless person knows that we never serve lunch before we preach the word of God, and that sometimes we preach for 15 minutes or more. However, many lined up attentively so that they could hear the word. Teaching on the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, Romans Chapter 7, and those oft-cited words of Jesus, "The truth shall make you free," [John 8:32] Ron delved into the Biblical meaning of "freedom." He preached that no one is truly free until they are set free from the prison of their own sin by faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. The LORD blessed the preaching of His word with sunlight that shone through and warmed all of us and with just enough snowflakes to present a beautiful picture of God's creative powers. Most if not all of those in line stood quietly and listened to the sermon. When Ron was finished, I saw one older African American man reach out for him and tell him that that he was helped by the message. "The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul" (Psalm 19:7).
For lunch, we served hot lasagna, bread, hot coffee and hot Tang. The coffee was purchased by a local business owner who employs a new co-laborer, Christina Norberg. Christina asked her boss if the business could provide the coffee and allow her to brew it at the office and he said "yes". We're grateful for this provision of the LORD through His servant Christina and her boss.
Jay Malanga and crew brought several more boxes of new sweatshirts and fleeces, with some winter jackets. There were also new scarves, boxers and socks from Brad, I believe. It looked like every homeless person who attended the outreach took at least one new article of winter clothing! There were many months in this ministry where this type of provision seemed unimaginable.
Blessings abounded for all. We concluded with prayer in a large group that included a good number of homeless and all of the co-laborers. We thanked God and the Lord Jesus, apart from whom we could do nothing.
Oh LORD, our God, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
"This is the day that the LORD has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it." -Psalm 118:24
I learned a little more today about what the above Scripture means.
When I arrived at the park with the cross and tables, and doubts as to whether anyone would show up, homeless or not, [this is just after the snowstorm of January 22] I spotted a group of ten or so people in the center of the park, in the relative warmth of the sunlight. Some of them were laborers who had come in from the suburbs to minister to the homeless and others were homeless, and someone had a snow shovel.
Using the snow shovel, folks began to clear a spot for us on the sidewalk that bisects the park. Among those helping with the set-up was a small Hispanic man whom I've never seen. This man was intent on helping us as if he was one of us. He carried equipment to the center of the park and even started opening the package of plates and napkins for us. He was a great helper, and at total stranger!
Jerri brought Starbucks coffee for all who wanted some. We also had hot Tang and hot Pizza Hut pizza. The Lord is not only the maker of each day, He somehow made it possible for us to get 20 large pizzas from Pizza Hut [at a great price!]. He not only owns the cattle on a thousand hills, but pizzas on a thousand hills as well! Indeed, the "earth is the Lord's and everything in it." Moses Kim and Hamed came with many prayers, much encouragement, more coffee and clothes. Israel, Noel, and Evelin came down as well to share Christ and the way to the kingdom of heaven with the poorest of DC. Two new laborers [Kristina and Jen] came down and were a blessing with their smiles and helping hands. Sam Casey came as well with his ministry of salt and light and singing. Then there was Derek, Ron and Deanna, and Scott Fine working the "field" as they always do. We were all warm at McPherson Square Park today, with rivers of living water flowing in us and through us!
Towards the end of the outreach, a man standing behind the cross began to sing, "This is the day the LORD has made," Sam joined in and some folks started clapping. Didn't anyone tell them that it was cold outside? Didn't anyone tell them about the Tsunami? Didn't anyone tell them about the plight of the homeless, or the fact that it was Sunday and we had five days of work ahead of us in the "rat race"? But as Sam indicated to me today, they knew what Stephen the martyr knew-that momentary trouble, pain and discomfort, were nothing when compared to the promise of an eternity in glory with the One who made us. As they gazed around and [were] reminded of the One who made this hope of glory possible through the sacrifice of His beloved Son, they could not help but sing.
Last Sunday, Nate, an old friend of ours who lives on the street, humbly requested a sleeping bag. All week, Suzy and I thought about getting a bag, but never got around to it. Nate had also been asking Derek for a sleeping bag and he also had not gotten around to it. Well, the LORD had not forgotten, for this week, one of the laborers brought a sleeping bag (I'm still not sure who brought it). Yes, we had one sleeping bag today, and we gave it to Nate. He was grateful and knew that it was the LORD who knew his need and met it.
One of the articles of clothing that was donated today was a smaller winter jacket. No one wanted it, until a smaller man approached us, having nothing more than a light Spring or Summer jacket on [and temperatures this weekend were well below freezing!]. He put it on the jacket and it fit perfectly. We all praised God together as we witnessed how He provides for our physical needs. As Jesus said, "For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him."
Bibles were handed out, prayers were lifted up, people were blessed and all were encouraged, all on this day the LORD made. Please join us in rejoicing in the LORD our God, whose very presence and promises give all the cause that is necessary for rejoicing and gladness, no matter the circumstances.
"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be the glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." - Ephesians 3:20
Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ. For many months, we have prayed for more laborers, winter clothes, and most of all, spiritual fruit from all of the sowing of the word of God that we have done. Today, I was reminded that the above Scripture is true, for God did exceedingly abundantly above all that we asked of Him or even thought to ask of Him.
Derek spoke to those in the park about what it means to be born again, of the Holy Spirit. Derek challenged his listeners to examine their lives for sin with Scripture from 1 John and encouraged them to tend to their spiritual growth with Bible reading and prayer just like a child must be fed for physical growth. While Derek was preaching, a young man who was not homeless and who had arrived at the park with lunches for the homeless came over to Derek and the whole group and interrupted him and spoke to all of the people in line and invited them to come over and have lunch. This was clearly intended to be a slight to Derek and the ministry, not to mention the word of God and God Himself. This young man was hostile to what we were doing. Well, it was quite awesome to see that none of us responded in kind and moreover, very few of the homeless left the line-they stayed to hear Derek preach and teach from the word of God for almost 10 more minutes! A few of the homeless in line even said that they had to get their "spiritual food" before they got their "physical food." They had taken to heart the great truths that Jesus spoke, "Life is more than food" and "seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you" (Luke 12:22, 31).
Afterward, we served hot lasagna, green beans, wheat bread and various juices. While the lunch line was progressing, one man began to sing a gospel song aloud. While I could not "name that tune," I did hear words of worship for Jesus Christ including words that said Jesus was the King. Though he was poor, presumably homeless and cold, this man was rich with the promises of God in Jesus Christ. "There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing; and one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches" (Proverbs 13:7).
Many of the folks were clearly cold, even though the good Lord has blessed us with sunlight for most of the outreach. Thankfully, Jay Malanga came to the park with [armfuls!] of large boxes filled with new winter jackets, winter shells, sweatshirts and fleeces. Jay has a business that sells software to clothing manufacturers and he offered to trade software for his customers' apparel overruns. He said the response was amazing, as he anticipates being able to distribute several thousand garments by the time all is said and done. Many praised and thanked God for their new clothes.
One of the homeless men I spoke to today was John. Many weeks ago, he had asked for $11 for a bus pass. I only had twenties, so I gave him one and asked him to use the difference to help someone else. I had forgotten all about this today until he said that he did just as I requested and spent the difference, minus some change for a couple of sodas, on one of his friends. He said he wanted to give to someone else, just as he had been given to. I told him that our prayer is that he gives the Gospel as well, as he has freely been given the Gospel.
Then there was Paul, who helped us by handing out the tickets for lunch and then by acting as a "rear guard" when we were handing out clothes. We have known Paul for at least a couple of years now. When we first met him, he was homeless, but even then he always lent us a hand as he considered it a privilege to serve for the glory of God. The really interesting thing about Paul is that he is no longer homeless and has a full-time job. He makes a special trip to McPherson Square Park each Sunday to serve with us as our brother in Christ!
Andrew is a relatively new laborer with us who is a merchant marine, software engineer, possible foreman for the construction homeless ministry and most important of all, a homeward-bound prodigal son of the Lord. He told me after the outreach, "I love this." I could only smile from ear to ear, for I knew exactly what he meant. For indeed, faith without works is dead, but faith with works is alive! Somehow, coming to a cold, muddy park to talk out of a book, serve lunch and hand out some clothes to homeless people can be a spiritual experience that gives us a taste of heaven, all because of the One in whose name we serve, Jesus Christ.
Please join us in thanking God for answered prayers and for blessings we never even prayed for or imagined.
Dear friends, today was a blessed day in the Lord at McPherson Square Park. There was an above-average number of homeless lined up today to partake of word of God and God's blessings of food and clothing.
The men (and maybe one woman) lined up quite quickly once we began to hand out tickets. With the dropping temperature, there was a greater sense of physical need in many of them. We began as I preached from Matthew 5:3, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." It was a delight and privilege to remind those listening of the fountain of forgiveness found in the blood of Jesus Christ and the assurance of heaven for all who are "poor in spirit." I was able to share with them the story of the tax collector who, upon seeing Jesus, acknowledged his spiritual poverty and cried out for mercy only to be told by Jesus that he would go home justified (i.e., acquitted) that very day (Luke 18:13-14). One man in particular seemed very interested in getting a Bible from us and reading about that tax collector. Others asked for Bibles in order to seek to learn more about the riches in heaven that are promised to all those who confess their spiritual poverty.
I spoke with one man named Carson for some time and he seemed to know the Bible backwards and forward and, more than that, he seemed to know God. The funny thing was that he was homeless, poor and essentially a stranger to many on his way from Delaware to North Carolina. He gave me advice that seemed to come from a veteran preacher and I was humbled by the power of God working in and through this "jar of clay." "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty" (1 Corinthians 1:27).
Israel and Noel prepared the meal with the help of Ron and Deanna. We served hot chili and chips with various juices to drink, all directly in front of the 9-foot wooden cross that marks our outreach. We had clothing donations from several sources and many homeless were clothed in Jesus' name. Michael Higdon came to the park with his own clothes and with a young man from Southeast D.C. whom Michael had met through Young Life. Tom Malloy brought clothes of course and I think Jerri Plemmons brought clothes as well. These are all tireless workers in the Lord.
About two-thirds of the way through the outreach, a group of women from the ministry accompanied Ann Thompson over to Starbucks, where Ann could rest her weary, hurting legs and all could get warm. Upon entering Starbucks they all saw Ken, the Cambodian homeless man whom we have known for years now. He was warming himself over a hot beverage of some sort. The women all greeted Ken by name and when he left, they all said goodbye to him. Ken is literally ignored [in the city's parks] and treated as less than a human being most days of the week, but today, one would have thought he had a fan club. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
When Suzy and I arrived at the park today with the cross, the two banquet tables and the bin, we had help immediately from some homeless men we knew and some we did not know. They carried everything to the proper place in the middle of the park. This consistently happens to us. I really can't recall many times over the past couple of years when we had to carry all of our equipment ourselves. Now, some of these men look for clothes or money in return, but some never ask for a thing. They just want to help set up the ministry.
One man who received a gym bag from us came over to me after everyone had left and thanked me. I told him that he was welcome and then suggested that he thank the Lord. He said he had already done that. It is our mission to get those in the park to thank God and seek His face and call on Him for salvation through Jesus Christ and for strength for persevering to the end when they go to see their Savior for the first time in the midst of spiritual riches that will make all the riches of the world pale in comparison.
"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds."
In the past, McPherson Square Park in DC has been a haunt for those who aspire to sloth and drunkenness and all sorts of lusts of the human heart. The park has been a "stronghold" within which these elements of humanity have thrived and been kept secure. Lately however, as you have probably noted in these emails and perhaps at the park, God seems to be in the process of transforming it, of demolishing this particular stronghold. The good fight is being waged through "earthen vessels" "not with weapons of the world" but with the name that is above all other names, Jesus Christ.
Today, we bore witness to this continuing work of God as another Christian ministry began an outreach right beside us before we were able to muster the troops to begin ourselves. This ministry had tables like us and served lunch like us. They also came in the name of Jesus Christ like us. They prayed with folks and exhorted them. Unlike us, they also sang hymns and spiritual songs that exalted our Lord Jesus and encouraged the soul with God's great truths. They also came with a preacher who shared the word of God. All of this was encouraging for me, for it was a clear indication that first, a work of God is not dependent on any particular person or talent, and two, that a work of God is happening at McPherson Square Park.
We asked these folks if Ron could preach to the homeless while they were in line to be served. They said that this would be great, but insisted on singing a few songs first. Many of us were clapping and singing songs like "Jesus loves me, this I know . . ." We worshipped God together. Then, Ron preached from 1 Timothy 6, "The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil." When Ron was finished, the members of the other ministry began to sing again and did not stop for a good half hour. Many of the homeless sang along smiling ear-to-ear right along side us.
To my knowledge, none of us really even exchanged names with these other folks, save the name of Jesus Christ. I don't even know which church or ministry they came from or even if they were from DC! I doubt they knew of our affiliations no less the name of our nonprofit. Yet Jesus and God's word were exalted above all things and this seemed to be transforming the atmosphere of the park (i.e., demolishing the stronghold).
The hearts and minds of some in the park were evidencing transformation as well. Kern is a homeless man whom we have known for many years. He does not have a normal mental capacity. His dog apparently died some time ago and he continued to talk about the dog as if it were still alive. He has not spoken about his dog for the past several months, but today he spoke about his Maker. I asked him if he was keeping warm and he said that he has obtained all kinds of good winter clothes "from the Lord." The Gospel is made for all who bear the image of God including Kern. The spiritually discerned words that we and others have spoken have penetrated even Kern's cloudy mind to convict him of his loving Shepherd so that he trusts in Him and glorifies Him. Kern knew the truth that evades so many with much greater intellects because God opened his eyes to it. Hallelujah.
Kenneth, an apparently homeless man in the park, asked Hamed, a co-laborer, for a pen. Hamed left for church before Kenneth returned to give Hamed the pen back. Kenneth said that the pen got him a job. Apparently, someone from the other ministry tested Kenneth's electrical skills by making him draw a diagram and hired him on the spot after he demonstrated his skill. Kenneth was excited about his job. He was also excited about the prospect of "teaching others how to fish" so that they fulfill their Biblical responsibility to work for what they need. He went on and on about wanting to minister to others in the park.
The "divine weapons" are revealed in the Bible and manifest themselves in sinners saved by the grace of God in Jesus Christ. God is demolishing the stronghold of sin and sadness in McPherson Square Park through the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed, prayer, meeting physical needs and fellowship. There's no white paper lying behind the other ministry, our own or any of the other Christian ministries that come to the park. There's no psychology, no manipulation, no marketing, no entertainment and no innovation-these are the weapons of the world for which we have no use.
We thank God for His divine weapons and His divine purpose to take McPherson Square Park for His namesake and for all of our good.
"You have exalted above all things your name and your word."
I can say that the above truth was abundantly clear to us in McPherson Square Park today. The day began slowly with a delay in the arrival of the cross and tables. While waiting for the cross and tables, another organization came with dozens of wrapped Christmas gifts containing clothes, toiletries and other items. We believe that they were doing this in Jesus' name as they apparently were handing out New Testaments. God's name and word were exalted before we even began.
We met Ozzie and Nicole, tourists from California. They immediately began to praise God and encourage us. Ozzie is going to an evangelism school in the San Diego. Derek and Loa were delayed in joining us and none of the homeless were coming over to our spot. In the midst of our doubt and stagnation, Ozzie said, "Let's pray." Praying aloud, Ozzie thanked God for bringing him to "church" with us even though he had missed church in the a.m. He prayed for God's blessing on the outreach in Jesus' name. This got us started. Apparently having finished their work at McPherson Square Park some 10 minutes after they first arrived, Ozzie and Nicole left.
At one point before we prayed with Ozzie, a homeless man came up to us and gave us a New Testament and a Daily Bread devotional. I remarked that we came to Gospel the park and we ended up being Gospelled first! He said, simply, that all Christians are supposed to obey the Great Commission.
I gave a short message from 1 Corinthians 10. I encouraged listeners to heed the warning in Scripture that not all who "eat the manna in God's covenant community" will inherit glory with God and that they should not take sin in their own lives lightly. I finished as the Scripture does with encouragement, pointing to the fact that God is faithful and will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear and will always provide a way out. God's word was exalted and we trust it will not return void.
We served the homeless piping hot chili with cheese. In addition to the chili, two young ladies, Elizabeth and Michele, came to our aid with hot quesadillas and cake. It was a blessing to be able to point the homeless to the food as evidence that God is indeed faithful and cares for them.
While we were serving lunch, a rather large group of people began to sing Gospel music about 20 yards from us. They were from a church in Southeast DC. There were young and old with them. At one point, this group joined hands and formed a circle with a handful of the homeless, some of us and others whose origin was unknown, in front of our tables and the cross and began to pray. Prayers were heard from "Rapper D," a plastic-bucket drummer well-known on the streets of DC, at least a couple young girls with the Southeast DC church, several adult women and men from the Southeast DC church and others.
We were surrounded with opened Christmas gifts, homeless people eating steamy chili, dirty and smelly homeless talking to clean-cut suburbanites with Bibles in hand, groups of children from some Sunday school class in DC playing near mini-homeless haunts, and Gospel singers. Jehovah had taken McPherson Square Park! His name and word were exalted above all things!
Do we still need prayer? Oh yes: for Timothy who could not stop shivering as
he held my hand in the prayer circle; for Derek who's under great pressure
starting a new business; for our own walks with Jesus; for our winter
clothing supply, which seemed particularly low today with the impending snow
storm; for the man whom we've known for years and said his first word today—
"cheese"— as he requested more cheese [to go with his hot chili]; for those being led astray by the lies
of the enemy who cloaks himself as an angel of light; for the diseased and
depressed, and for those perilously close to succumbing to the same fate as
the Israelites who fell in the desert thousands of years ago. When it
really comes down to it, we still groan within ourselves as we face the
difficulties of this life. I believe this is by God's mercy, for it keeps
us hungering and thirsting for the blessed hope, the return of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Even if angels descended on McPherson Square Park today and
all were saved, we'd still groan, for the curse would still be here and the
old order of things will not have passed. Only upon our Savior's return
will the curse be permanently removed, creation liberated from its bondage
of corruption and the saints truly be satisfied in the presence of their
Savior. Even today, I can say as the Apostle John did many years ago, "Come
Lord Jesus!"
Merry Christmas!
Then He took them with Him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing. Late in the afternoon the twelve came to Him and said, "Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here." He replied, 'You give them something to eat' . . . They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
Greetings in Jesus name! The above Scripture recounts a day in the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Scripture says that we are to imitate Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1). Tonight, it strikes me that we imitated Christ without knowing it as God worked through us at McPherson Square Park. We began by welcoming the "crowds that learned about it"— it, in this case, being our arrival. We then started like Jesus did by speaking to the crowd about the kingdom of God. I preached from Romans 8:1-11. When finished, folks were hungry, so we began serving hot lasagna, bread and drinks to the strangers in the park. Even though there was an unusually large crowd, there was so much lasagna that we ended up giving away whole pans to an individual who lived with his sister and had a refrigerator. Peter Lewis' group was responsible for being God's vessel for bringing this lunch to the park. After finishing lunch, the homeless, strangers, diseased and destitute lined up to receive clothing. We had enough for everyone who wanted clothes. We had boxes of brand new clothes from Jay Malanga and a box of new blankets from Evelyn, who served with us for her first time today.
A small group of us concluded the day in Starbucks. Ken was with us. Ken is an intelligent homeless man originally from Cambodia whose wife stole his money and possessions and moved back to Cambodia. He was smiling as we spoke about God and living in the world as a Christian. Ken sipped tea with his friend, Moses, a young, single Asian man who has served with us in the park for most of the life of this ministry and who hungers and thirsts for God. Derek was with us as well. Derek is a brother in Christ who operates his own home-improvement business during the week and was recently married to our sister in Christ from Puerto Rico, Loaiza. Derek was talking to Moses about the gift of healing with his Bible open. Israel, Noelle and Evelyn also joined us. Israel is a soft-spoken Peruvian artist who is courting Noelle, an even softer-spoken sister in Christ of Mexican descent. Evelyn is the young Latina woman who brought the new blankets; she's a friend of Noelle. On the foundation of Christ, we spoke about life, the gift of fellowship and the homeless. At one point during our time, Ken, who frequently tells us how he can never get a solid night of sleep because he has to defend himself from others who would mug him, started nodding off in the midst of our conversation. We thank God for this sweet fellowship and for his modern-day miracles of loaves and fishes.
"And He said, 'The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.'" --Mark 4:26-27
Yes, none of us really knows how God makes the kingdom of God grow. Like the farmer who knows enough to scatter seed, we take the name of Jesus Christ and His Gospel, in word and deed, to McPherson Square Park, but that's where our job stops. We have no idea how God takes His word and applies it to the hearts and minds of His chosen ones and brings about a rebirth. But like the farmer who knows the seed sprouts and yields a crop, we know the word of God bears fruit, yes, it never returns void.
I saw Robert today. Robert was the man who approached me two weeks ago and asked for nothing other than a Bible and proceeded to tell me he had called on Jesus Christ for deliverance from his sins. Robert was in line for lunch. I asked him if he had been reading his Bible and he replied, "Of course." He was clearly at peace. I pray that God would continue to complete the good work that He began in Robert and bring him all the way home.
Today was a day of scattering seed. Ron preached about repentance, about the difference between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow. He spoke the truth to all who heard. In whose heart did it take root? Who knows. Whose heart was like the fourth soil in the parable of the sower? We don't know. Very likely though, we will meet another man or woman one day who tells us that he had repented and believed in Jesus Christ as he Savior and Lord. When did it happen? Who knows. Why him? Why me? "That He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles" (Romans 9:23).
Andrew, a relatively new worker at McPherson Square Park, mobilized his small group to bring the lunch today: Domino's pizza, which seemed to be a hit. Derek faithfully hauled all of our gear including the cross, the banquet tables and the supplies bin. Tom "the clothes man" Malloy was back today and brought with him clothes for the homeless. Others who served with us in the park today also brought clothes, so that all told we were able to help dozens of homeless individuals with at least one of the following: sweaters, T-shirts, jackets, shoes, socks, jeans and pants. This was all in Jesus' name.
Not all was easy today. Just as the farmer has to battle the elements as he scatters seed, we were faced with an unusually high amount of distractions, hecklers and disorganization today. In part, this was a reminder for me of how much of a blessing it was two Sundays ago during our Thanksgiving outreach. Whether it was David jumping into the front of the clothes line trying to persuade us that it would be a gross injustice not to give him clothes, or the several instances of men threatening each other with fights, or the shortage of food (i.e. unusually large number of people), or Anthony a.k.a. the Running Man's pestering with meaningless questions and requests, we faced many challenges today. However, seeds were sown and the will of God will be done. This evening, we lie down to bed and look forward to rising tomorrow and hearing of God's ever-advancing kingdom.
For Thine is the power, the glory and the kingdom forever. Amen.
"In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ
Jesus for you."
1 Thessalonians 5:18
Robert is a homeless man who used to have addictions, no job and worst of all, no peace with his Maker. He stood by me and another new worker in McPherson Square Park, Andrew, for almost 15 minutes waiting patiently to talk to me. When Andrew and I finally finished talking, Robert came to me and held out his hand to thank me. I asked him why. He said he came to put his trust and faith in Jesus Christ three weeks ago through this ministry. He said that he's been able to clean up his life and is starting at a new job tomorrow. He almost had a look of a deer in the headlights that reminded me of the man who was healed of his blindness by Jesus. He could not explain his radical change in circumstances, only that they had changed. Robert said he had only one request after we hugged. They I thought to myself, ok, here we go again, another con job; he's going to ask for money. There are guys that know all the talk of Christianity and even know a good amount of Scripture, but they aren't saved; they use it for their own selfish ends. We continue to love these types and tell them about Christ. Sometimes we have to be stern with them. Well, Robert's one request happened to be for a Bible. He just wanted to have access to God's word as much as he was led. Glorious day! Angels rejoice! In everything we give thanks, including God's work in Robert's life.
John Brown is another man with whom I spoke today. He said that Ron and Deanna had given him a bus pass some time ago and he used it to get to a new job. The job lasted a good amount of time and enabled him to sustain an apartment. However, he was painting and the fumes irritated an asthmatic condition, so he had to quit. Today, he brought news of another new job that is to start tomorrow. He needed another bus pass and we helped him with that. I asked him why he comes to the park. He said that he comes not to eat but to hear the word of God. He said that eventually, he began to believe in and trust God because it was obvious the various ministries that come to the park in Christ's name were not just the work of men, but of God. He said that he looked forward to giving back of what the LORD gave him through us. Salvation produces works, just like the Philippian jailer who had mercy on Paul and his companions after he believed in Jesus. In everything we give thanks, including God's work in John's life.
Jay was a new worker who served alongside us today. He used to run a marketing business that printed logos on T-shirts. As with all of such businesses, there have been mistakes and boxes and boxes of new clothes that were not the right color or had a twisted logo. He brought enough T-shirts, long-sleeve T-shirts and mock turtle neck long-sleeve T-shirts to provide one to anyone who asked. All told, we had to give out close to 100 shirts. Then there were many sets of new gloves that were donated by Derek's sister. The clothes just keep appearing each week as we continue to pray! They homeless need all of it as the temperature drops. We tell them to fix their eyes on the Kingdom of God and that all of these things, clothes, food and shelter, will be given to them. Thank God that He is true to His word.
We served upwards of 120 Thanksgiving meals today complete with freshly roasted turkey and ham, homemade mashed potatoes, cranberries, gravy, rolls, corn, green beans, pumpkin pie, chocolate cookies, cold water and juices. Keith, a long-time friend who lives on the street and brother in Christ, told me that he could tell the food came from genuine love. I told him that's our goal! Fourth Presbyterian Church donated almost all of the food as well as enough dry goods to last for many weeks. Danny cooked his world-famous potatoes, Ron, Deanna, Suzy and myself cooked the turkeys and hams, Derek and Loa cooked the vegetables, Moses brought the pumpkin pies and Peter and crew brought juices. This was a miracle of loaves and fishes my friends. God is true to His word. We are thankful in everything, including God's faithfulness to His promises to us in His word.
There were also many workers today, five or so of whom were new. The LORD is raising up people like Andrew who wants to give his life to the LORD in service and might just be a foreman for the construction homeless ministry (see www.lwwdc.org), or like Ann, who perseveres through pain to share Christ, like a soldier, each and every Sunday with someone new. There's Lars, who encouraged us with the word of God. Lars may be homeless, but I'm not quite sure. The lines become blurred in the Family of God. The fact that someone has a home or not seems to get lost in all of the radiance of God's blessings, when we are overwhelmed with the home He has prepared for us, together, with Him, in glory forever. We go to the park to tell folks about glory, not about a home on earth—the home will come, for God cares for all of His children. We go to the park to invite the poor to the Great Banquet in heaven and oh, what a delight it is when we meet folks like Robert! I really don't even know whether Robert needed a home, or even a meal. He was preoccupied when we spoke; preoccupied with God and His word. "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds form the mouth of God." In everything we give thanks, including the fellowship that God provides at McPherson Square Park. Praise the LORD!
Good afternoon friends. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, I bring you testimonies of some of God's mighty works-indeed, that God's faithfulness reaches to the skies.
I preached a message based on Psalm 33. The Psalm starts with an exhortation to rejoice in the LORD and ends with a plea: "Let Your mercy be upon us, just as we hope in You." In between, there are powerful statements of the LORD's sovereignty in all of creation including an unsettling statement that the LORD considers all of the works of each and every person on earth. Praise in the beginning of the Psalm leads to supplication at the end. This is the only sensible response to the glory and sovereignty of God. This also opened the door for the Gospel message, that all who trust in the mercy of God revealed on Calvary will be saved.
Julie Lose's women's small group brought an assortment of enough homemade pasta dishes to feed all who hungered. After they finished, one of the women thanked us for the opportunity to serve God through this ministry. We thank God for raising up these helping hands and providing this proof of God's great love and faithfulness for all those who partook of the lunch that they brought.
The LORD raised up winter clothes from multiple, unaffiliated sources. Jerri brought two sacks of clothes given by various folks at her workplace who have an interest in participating in the glorification of God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ in McPherson Square Park. The LORD has actually opened up amazing doors at Jerri's workplace so that the name of Jesus is spoken with reverence often amongst the Christians that He has placed there. A couple of other sacks of clothes were brought by Justin, Tom's cousin. Justin and Tom worked together to ensure that the homeless in McPherson Square Park were clothed for God's glory. Additionally, several women in Julie Lose's small group were able to collect winter clothing from various sources. We had to take a step back today and just acknowledge that the hand of the LORD has done this. We hope the recipients see it this way too.
We heard from at least two of the guys in the park today of how Jesus Christ has transformed their lives. One man, Kevin, met us after the outreach and proceeded to tell us that his life is finally getting into order. We asked him what happened and he said that "he surrendered and threw in the towel". He said that his surrender was to the LORD and to the LORD's way. He said that his health, freedom from addiction to crack cocaine, apartment, clothes, and more lucid mind were all due to the "grace of God". He stressed that his only part was the surrender. Amen, Kevin, amen. Thank you LORD for answering our cries for mercy as we saw hell closing in. Thank you LORD for your abundant mercy on Kevin's soul and for how he gives You all of the glory. Ted also told us how the LORD saved him and has lead him to minister to individuals dying of AIDS, not unlike the Philippian jailer whose salvation was manifested immediately when he washed the wounds of Paul and his companions. Ted trusts in the LORD and praises His name. We see the fruit of the Gospel. Many seem impervious to these eternal truths, hardened by their own rebellious hearts, yet some, a few, like Ted and Kevin, have been put on the narrow way, the way leading to everlasting life.
Please pray for winter clothes, in particular hats, jackets and gloves. Please also pray for a blessed Thanksgiving outreach this coming Sunday (11/21). God has moved and led Fourth Presbyterian Church to finance almost all of the costs of a turkey dinner. It's His ministry. Please pray for our discernment, that we would know His good, perfect and pleasing will for this ministry.
Greetings in Jesus’ name! This past Sunday was a beautiful day in McPherson Square Park, where we once again brought the timeless Gospel of Jesus Christ, food and fellowship to the “least of these”.
Ron and Deanna brought lasagna and chips. Derek brought the word of God. An interesting occurrence is that many in the park seemed quite sleepy and lethargic. We thought it was a result of the combination of unusually warm temperatures and high numbers of organizations bringing food to the park. Derek ended up having a Bible study. A handful of guys in the park surrounded Derek and listened to him teach the Bible.
Our sister in Christ Ann Thompson was able to get down to the park and even help us serve the meal despite her ailing leg, which was recently made worse by a fall. When I see Ann’s spirit of worship in the midst of pain, I’m reminded of Job, who said, “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised,” after going through terrible suffering. Ann has discovered the secret of perseverance that rests in a deep peace with her Maker through Jesus Christ.
We continue to be surprised by the folks in the park who desire to have their own Bibles. One man did not partake of the meal or the Bible study, yet he came over to me and asked me if we could give him a Bible. We almost always find folks who are hungry for God’s word. As our Lord Jesus said, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
As we approach colder days and months, we are still praying for more winter clothes, which truly do save lives on the street. In addition, we are praying and thinking about a Thanksgiving outreach on Sunday, November 21, which is the Sunday before Thanksgiving.
If you are led to pray for us, please pray above all that God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ would continue to be glorified through this ministry.
Greetings in Jesus’ name! It’s with much joy that I write today, having borne witness to God’s goodness in a myriad of ways.
Derek and Loa prepared a meal today consisting of hot dogs with all the fixings and hot, breaded mozzarella sticks. They also brought fresh fruit and juices. It is awesome to see Derek and Loa serving God together as man and wife. They have certainly not wasted any time getting back into working the fields and giving back to God some of the riches He has bestowed on them.
Tom and his cousin Justin brought a fairly large quantity of winter clothes and blankets down with them today. I believe Tom collected these items from his neighbor and his mother, among other sources. God has definitely called Tom to clothe the “least of these brothers” of Christ.
I preached on Luke 12 and echoed the warning of Jesus to not covet material things. Following the inspired organization of Scripture, I then preached on Christ’s teaching that God knows our real needs for food and clothing before we ask, so we should not worry about them. It was a blessing to be able to point to the clothes and food that the LORD had provided today as evidence that God really does provide. This laid the groundwork for the conclusion of the matter, that the pursuit of God’s Kingdom is the only worthwhile endeavor in life. I indicated that the key promise is found in verse 32, which states that it’s God’s good pleasure to give His Kingdom to all who trust in Him.
I saw Curtis paying particular attention today during the sermon. Please remember his name and pray for him. He is a Caucasian ex-Marine and alcoholic with a gift for carpentry. We have known him for approximately two years. We’ve seen him after he’s been severely beaten. We’ve seen him drunk. We’ve seen him angry and belligerent. Today, I saw him focused on the message of God’s word. He was not the only one. Christ’s message about the Kingdom of God seemed to strike deep in the heart of a man who is usually a troublemaker. He came to me after the message and had many things to say to me about God and His word. He apparently has been going to church on his own. This is striking! He said that I really got through to him today, unlike many other days. “For the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of the soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Oh, we do pray for fruit, to know that our efforts are not in vain and that God is making the seeds grow. Please pray with us, that the homeless in McPherson Square would be singing hymns to their Maker for all of DC to see and hear, for God’s glory.
Jesus said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). We in the park at McPherson Square were abundantly blessed today even though we have never seen our Savior.
The blessings began with a sermon from Ron, who preached on John 10 and explained that salvation rests in Jesus Christ alone and that all others who come claiming they have the key to salvation outside of Jesus Christ are “thieves and robbers” whose primary purpose is to “steal, kill and destroy”—not worldly possessions—but the soul. He clarified that the abundant life of which Jesus speaks was eternal life, the blessings and joy of which eclipse any temporary pleasures of this life. Ron brought home the point that Jesus Christ, the one and only true Shepherd who can shepherd someone to God, will save all those who come to Him and provide them with eternal pasture where there will be no more mourning, pain, death or want. We pray and trust God’s word will not return void.
Speaking of God’s word bearing fruit, I should mention Lee. Lee is a homeless man I mentioned in one of my past updates. He is the one who has taken a regular responsibility for handing out tickets. Most in the park know that this is his job. Today, he also oversaw the few women who were going through the winter clothes. Last week, three people teamed together to give Lee money to make it to some job interviews. We found out today that he was asked back for a second interview. He is clearly excited. I began to reflect on the changes in Lee today. He attributes everything to Jesus Christ. He prays with us regularly and has a very tender heart. I believe he has put his trust in Christ as his Lord and Savior. We thank God for even one sheep who enters into the “sheepfold” through Jesus Christ as we work the mission field at McPherson Square Park.
Another blessing of the day was the meal. Chili, green beans, bread and butter were served. There was enough for everyone in line to be filled. Once again, the last scoop of chili was served to the last person who was hungry—there was just enough. Mind you, no one in the line could really see into the container holding the chili. God knew, and He provided. Praise Him.
Lastly, we handed out approximately 15 Bibles today in Spanish and English. We hand out Bibles to all those who express an interest in receiving one. There have been days when one or two people at most out of 50 to 100 would request a Bible when the offer was made to all. We see this as a fruit of the Holy Spirit, to have a hunger for God’s word. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Amen.
We are gearing up for winter now. Hot meals, hats and gloves, chap stick, Bibles (always), warm handshakes and loving conversations are the key ingredients for this phase—from a human perspective—from a divine perspective, we hope and pray in God our Savior. “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.” (Ps 118:8-9) Please petition the LORD for us, that He would equip us for being some of His ambassadors in the city this winter.
“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the
Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
-- Jesus Christ
As many of you know, you and we have been listening to Jesus and asking the “Lord of the harvest” to “send out workers into His harvest field” over the past several months as various members of the relatively permanent leadership team have been in the process of getting married and as the ebb and flow of seasons for individuals has taken some out of the ministry. Well, in His perfect timing, the Lord has been answering our prayers lately as new workers have been appearing every weekend. Today, we were blessed by the help of one of the largest groups of new workers we’ve ever seen. Two small groups comprised of 10 individuals in the aggregate and working in concert came to the park for their first time to join us in working the harvest field at McPherson Square Park. In addition, several other individuals with no relation to these two small groups joined us for the first time.
I gave a message entitled “The Gospel Basics” based on 1 Peter 1:3-9. This wonderful Scripture tells us so much about the one and only true Gospel of Jesus Christ. It appeared that, by God’s grace, many of the listeners were helped and encouraged by this simple message from God’s eternal word.
Ron and Deanna, newly married and just back from their honeymoon, brought a lunch today of hot dogs and fruit cocktail. In the name of Jesus, we fed approximately 100 men and a few women until they could not eat anymore. We praise God for His abundant provision.
Yesterday’s winter clothing mission to Central Union Mission in DC bore much fruit as we obtained warm sweaters, some pants and shirts. We also obtained upwards of 15 winter jackets, which we decided to hold onto and give out as genuine needs arose. Just today, after all was said and done, a man walked up to me as I was loading our truck and asked with a very contrite spirit whether we had any coats. He clearly needed a coat and I was grateful he asked, as I handed him a great leather jacket that we got from the Central Union Mission.
Chester, a homeless man who has been helping with the outreach by handing out tickets and keeping certain men in order, had three interviews lined up for this week. He asked me for money to get a flash pass for the Metro and I only had $4. Joey had $6 and Bill Witner, another homeless man, gave him his last dollar. [The flash pass cost is $11.] Praise the Lord for how He provides for those who trust in Him.
James, who is pushing 7 feet tall and probably close to 300 pounds, also came to the park today at the behest of Bill Witner. James is a warrior in the Lord. The first question James asked me was what Scripture I was reading from and after he confirmed that I had a “Holy Bible”, he proceeded to tell me that as he walks the street witnessing to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he continually runs into deceivers who come in the name of God but had distorted doctrine and Scriptures. James had two jobs, a house and at least one car. He served with the Marine Corps for over 15 years and also served as a Navy Seal. Now, aside from working, he says he makes time to read his Bible to present himself “to God as one approved, who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” At one point, James rebuked one of the homeless men in line for starting trouble. We thank God for his help today and wish that he continues to fight the good fight.
Ann, whom I’ve mentioned before, was clearly led to collect tickets today notwithstanding her bad leg. Ticket collection is usually reserved for a guy who is not afraid to tell one of the homeless who has cut in front of others to go to the back of the line. Ann insisted however. She must have been trusting that, like Elijah and all of God’s people, she had more on her side than any one of the usual troublemakers had on their side. Ann insists on serving each week in some capacity. Ironically, she has become more insistent on serving, as the condition of her leg seemingly gets worse. Please pray for healing in Ann’s leg. One way or another, she will get it. Suzy bore witness to this truth as she told Anne she looked forward to seeing her dancing in heaven one day. Like James, Ann, being a vessel for God’s power and love, is also a warrior in the Lord.
Please join us in praising God for His amazing works in McPherson Square Park each Sunday.
"Faithful and True"
Greetings in Jesus’ name! In praying about how to summarize the last two Sundays, I thought that the above name of Jesus is particularly applicable. We are told that this is the name of Jesus Christ in Chapter 19 of Revelation in the context of the final battle of good versus evil in which Jesus Christ, followed by the armies of heaven, returns to eternally destroy the Devil and his minions and usher in the Kingdom of heaven. When the gates of hell threaten the church of Jesus Christ in these last days and when all hope might seem to be gone, the Lord of lords will return and His name will be Faithful and True and He will, once and for all save His church.
A foretaste of this faithfulness was seen in McPherson Square park the past two Sundays as our Lord raised up all the workers we needed to bring the Gospel and the love of God to all who dwell within it.
On September 26, Hamed our faithful brother in Christ whom God saved from a Muslim background (born in Tehran) preached the Gospel and Brian and Renee brought sandwiches and fruit for the lunch. Among the workers was our dear sister in Christ, a warrior in the Lord, Ann Thompson, who is truly overflowing with joy by the power of the Holy Spirit Sunday after Sunday. Ann helped serve lunch along with the others as long as her sore leg would allow.
This past Sunday (October 3) we were literally overwhelmed by God’s provision. Someone said it was like the "fishes and loaves" given by Christ many hundreds of years ago. Yes, on a day when our doubts were the greatest in our history (or as long as my memory permits) as to whether we would have a lunch for the homeless, whether we would have enough workers, whether we would have any clothes and lastly, whether we would be able to bring the Word of Life, God provided more food than we have ever had in one outreach. Further, God provided more clothes than we have ever given out on one day—all of them new! God also provided a message from His word. God also raised up close to our highest count of workers ever, many of whom had never been to the outreach.
The lunch was provided by God through Tricia Lengyel along with the women in her Bible study. These ladies brought 10 lasagnas, fruit cocktail and rolls with brimming smiles confident in the Lord whom they serve. We eventually gave out all the lasagna but only after waiting for straggler after straggler to come to the table. We have never been in a situation like this, where we had trouble giving out all the food. Brian brought more homemade chocolate cookies than could be handed out—again, a rarity. Mai Trinh and Jacobus Joubert, two other first-timers, also brought sandwiches independently of Tricia’s group. Mai heard about the outreach from Tom "the clothes man" Malloy. As for the clothes, my brother-in-law’s mother who lives in Pittsburgh obtained them from Wal-Mart and then got them to my mother who got them to us as she happened to be passing through DC for work last weekend. We had enough new socks and underwear for everyone to take at least one pair. We also had T-shirts and tank tops for many of the men as well as some winter clothes from Tom Malloy and Jarrod, who stopped down on their way back to the suburbs. Finally, I was able to put together a short sermon based upon the first couple of versus of Hebrews 12 to finish my series on heroes of the faith notwithstanding the lack of time as a result of Derek and Loa’s wedding the day before. One man who listened intently throughout told me this was exactly what he needed to hear, namely to keep looking unto "Jesus, the author and finisher of his faith who, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising its shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Joey faithfully brought cold drinking water to the park for the homeless. Malanie, who lives in Gainsville, VA drove to Vienna and took the Metro into DC to check out the outreach (by herself) and brought cookies (yes, more cookies!). God also blessed us with the safe return of Jerri Plemmons from Africa, where she was an ambassador of Christ for three weeks.
I could go on, but I think you get the picture of how we have been witnesses of the wonderworking power of Jesus Christ, who is Faithful and True and who will return one day to make all things new. Please join us in praising Him as we are encouraged and our faith is increased and God touches the lives of many in McPherson Square park.
It’s with overflowing joy that I write to you today, put there not by men but by God, the maker of heaven of earth and the One who raises the dead. Why the joy? This beautiful day is one reason. This day (at least in Washington, DC) is absolutely spectacular with blue skies, cool breezes, green all around and the sound of birds chirping all around, to name a few. Yes, “the heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge” (Psalm 19:1-2). In addition, we had a great day of fellowship amongst brothers and sisters in Christ in the park.
One of the blessings that God has lavished on us in the park on Sundays is the help that is provided by the homeless who are in the park. For many months, we need only pull up to the curb and at least a couple guys will come over to us asking if we need help. Also, for the past couple of weeks, several of the homeless guys have been given responsibilities helping with the outreach. One guys has assumed responsibility for handing out tickets for lunch. Just several weeks ago, I asked him if he could help. By this week, he automatically proceeds to get the tickets from the storage bin where we keep all of our supplies and begins to hand them out. He clearly appreciates the opportunity to make some use of himself and to give back. We have been blessed by his help. And then there are the guys who have a love of God’s word that compels them to stand and discuss among themselves the Scriptures and all that they tell us. One other example of how the homeless become in involved in the outreach is when several volunteered to meet us at the Central Union Mission’s clothing warehouse in DC for a winter clothing sorting session. This happened after I explained what we were planning on doing; I did not even ask for help.
Suzy and I brought lasagna, fruit salad and Tang. Derek preached the Gospel. Joey came down once again and is actually stepping into the gap over the next several weeks by being the custodian of the tables and the storage bin. “Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.”
I told [the director of the Central Union Mission] that we might even need upwards of 50 winter coats and he said that would not be a problem. This is a huge answer to prayer. The need for prayer continues though, as we will need many hands to sort through and pick up all the winter clothing. We are looking at Saturday, October 9 for a day to go to the Central Union Mission’s clothing warehouse to sort through the winter clothes and obtain enough winter jackets to outfit every guy in the park with a need. We do this for you, Jesus, for you’ve said, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”
Yes, we were spiritually bankrupt and cold at one time in our lives, as dead spiritually as Lazarus was dead physically. Indeed we were unlovable, like Nineveh in all of its wretchedness at the core of every one of its inhabitants. Yet God, in His abundant mercy and compassion, stooped down and clothed us with salvation through Jesus Christ, by His shed blood. Not only that, but we are promised an eternal inheritance kept in heaven for us for the day when we go or when our Lord returns.
God's word was proclaimed and the poor in the park were fed and clothed. I gave the message on Hebrews 11:36- 40, which gives us insight into to how someone with Biblical faith might actually fare in life and why such Christians held on in the past and why we should hold on today, for the promise of eternal life and perfection. We were blessed by Ann's presence once again and said goodbye for now to Jerri, our faithful co-laborer in the park, as she goes to Africa to preach the Good News for three weeks. Tom Malloy also helped us greatly once again along with his friend, Van. They brought clothes, staffed the lunchline and prayed with us.
Today was a difficult day in many respects. I do not mean to imply that the ministry was not a success, just that it was more difficult today for a few of us. Surely, physical difficulties are not always indicative of the failure of ministry. The crucifixion is the primary example of this. Bloodied, beaten and dying, our Lord Jesus Christ said, "It is finished" from the cross, meaning the power of death and hell were broken—success, but not without cost. More specifically, the man in the red hat lost control today more than any day in the couple of years we've known him. He actually stood up (which I've never seen) and turned towards the lunchline and started shouting in a blind rage all sorts of profanities and incomprehensible arguments. At the same time, another man whom we've known for some time began to unleash a tidal wave of insults, blasphemies and accusations on the man in front of him in the lunchline. The man in front was a Christian and was taking it all in, saying out loud that he is to "bless those who persecute" him, following the example of Christ. Later on, David, a somewhat slick young man who we know quite well, had his second blow up of the past 6 months when I told him that he could not have a jacket that was being given away because he already received a blanket. The profanities, threats and insults began to roll off his tongue as he walked away and handed back all that we had given him including the blanket. There's more, but I think you get the point. At times like these, I am encouraged by the words of Paul, whom we are to emulate as he emulated Christ,
Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. (2 Cor 11:22-33)
Your prayers would be appreciated, that we would have wisdom to know how to handle the myriad of situations that arise on the street, that we would have faith to trust that God's word does not return void, that we would have safety and that, above all, God's name will be glorified through us at McPherson Square park.
Please pray for a winter clothing drive. Ideally, we would have someone head up this effort who would coordinate with churches in the area and manage the process. Our overall goal is to get clothes to those who need them.
Lastly, join me in praising God for His unimaginable mercies. The last man in the park with whom we spoke was an older brother in the Lord. He came alongside us having witnessed the troubles of today and assured us that God is at work in the park through LWWDC. He gave us some advice and prayed with us. Oh Lord, thank you, in Jesus name, Amen!
“Who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord”
Today was a blessed day, a day that the LORD made. The blessings surely found their way into McPherson Square park, as we were able to serve over 100 homeless men a hot meal of penne with tomato sauce with sweet Italian sausage, fruit cocktail, cold water and Tang.
Ron delivered the message today. He began by reminding all his listeners that we come week by week in the name of Jesus Christ, not in our own names, and that all we do in the park is because of Jesus Christ and for His glory. Ron then explained why we worship Christ, when so many others throughout time have claimed to be God, performed miracles and taught the Golden Rule with all of its permutations. The key Scripture in his message was Matthew 12:39-40, which says, “He [Jesus Christ] answered, ‘A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.’” Ron explained that we worship Jesus Christ because He is the only One who was raised from the dead and that His resurrection was the sign given by God to the whole world throughout time that declares Jesus Christ’s divine nature, the only nature that would suffice for the perfect sacrifice to take away the sins of the world. As the Scripture set forth at the top of the page tells us, Jesus Christ was declared to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead, and so we worship Him as God.
Tom Malloy could not be with us today since he was out of town, but his cousin and his cousin’s friend picked up clothing and brought it down to the park. Once again, God proved that this ministry is His, as He continues to raise up servants from all walks to come and work the fields for Him. We are praying for a winter clothing drive. Please pray with us for this if you are led.
I ran into two homeless guys I have not seen in many months today. I’ve known Fred since we began the ministry. He is a middle-aged man with a humble spirit and a knowledge of God and Jesus Christ apparently given to him through his mother. He used to own a house, a boat, cars and other material things. However, he willingly admits that his sin of drunkenness is what has led to his homelessness. I was encouraged to hear that he had been absent because he had been doing home improvement work in one of the suburbs of DC. The other guy, Joseph, was a zealous Jehovah’s Witness when we first met him. Despite the fact that he was homeless, he took very good care of himself and maintained a relatively high level of dignity amongst the homeless population. He used to argue with us over various doctrinal issues and try and persuade homeless guys in line not to listen to us. He used to always have a couple of “disciples” with him who gave him their full attention. Over time, however, we saw Joseph struggle physically and mentally as all do who live on the streets. The best way I can sum the changes in Joseph is that he grew more and more humble and contrite. After a while, he began to listen more to our preaching and actually seemed to approve of our doctrine. He ceased to try and persuade folks in the lunchline to believe his doctrine and ceased to argue with us. Today, as I saw him for the first time in over half a year, we shared a moment where he quoted the following Scripture, in which he was clearly putting his hope, “After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’" (Rev 7:9-10) I picked up where Joseph left off and recounted how the Bible says that so many people will be worshipping God in heaven that the sound of the singing will be like the roar of rushing water. As he continued down the lunch line, he said to me, “I’ll see you there”. Ahhh. Words cannot explain the joy that I had at that moment and still have.
One of my greatest sources of joy and hope is to think of the time when I will be standing in heaven worshipping with a smile ear to ear looking around seeing all of the homeless guys from McPherson Square park who trusted Christ, but without their diseases, physical impediments, sorrow or poverty. They will be rich! And full of joy and their voices will be part of the “rushing water,” . . . "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come!” . . .
Last Sunday, Hamed, who was born in Tehran, Iran and was a Muslim for some time before confessing Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord, preached the Gospel to the guys in the park and Derek provided the food for the outreach.
Today, we were blessed by a women’s Bible study led by Carla Marley, as they brought enough “Cottage Pie,” which is a close relative to “Shepherds Pie”, to feed well over 100 men and women. She came with several men as well, who were friends of the members of the Bible study. Overall, there were enough workers in Carlas’s group, to staff the entire lunchline. This freed up many of the regular workers to talk to the folks in the line and catch up on friendships with the homeless.
I gave the sermon today. I preached on the last fragment of Romans 3:26, which states, “that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” I talked about how God's justice and His love are reconciled on the cross of Christ and no where else.
Even though Tom Malloy has been able to bring as much clothes as he can carry each Sunday, we are not coming close to matching the demand for clothing. As the winter approaches, this issue will become far more serious, as far more homeless die each year from exposure to the cold than from starvation. If the LORD leads you to give for the sake of clothing the “least of these” this winter, you can direct that your donation is used this way. You can be assured that the clothes that we buy or that we give because of your donation will be given in Jesus’ name.
Lastly, I had a long conversation with Bill, a man who is currently living on the streets (i.e., front steps of a nearby church). Bill is a Vietnam veteran who served our country as a combat medic in the Big Red One unit of the Army. He is articulate and knows the Bible. His father was a Christian preacher. He was witty and sharp and tested me from the start to see if I really cared about what he was saying. I asked him why he was on the street. He said that he was previously renting an apartment from a woman whom he was dating, but the woman ran away with another man with lots of money and left him without an apartment. He told me about a message of his father that he never forgot, that when we pray that we want to be like Jesus, we should understand and appreciate that Jesus went to the cross and suffered greatly. I was reminded of the Scripture that says, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). Bill just got a job this past week and needed money to buy a Metro pass to get him to and from work until he is paid. Faced with the decision that each of us face over and over again in this ministry, this time, I was led to give him the money. God knows and I think I know whether this is truly what Bill needed.
Thanks for your prayers and your friendship.
“Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”
Greetings in Jesus’ name! Please join us in giving thanks to the LORD and praising His name for His abundant provision in McPherson Square park today and on so many Sundays in the past, through LWWDC.
One man, James, told me that we are the only group that has come every week without fail for as long as he remembers. I told him that this is nothing other than an example of how the LORD’s mercies endure forever and are new every day. I cannot begin to explain how thrilled I am when I hear such comments, because I know that this is proof even to me of how faithful the LORD is, that our God is the “God of gods” and “Lord of lords” as the Psalmist says.
We were blessed with two new “workers” today: Jenna and Riley. I believe they found out about us from Tom Malloy. God continues to answer our prayers for more workers so we can take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to as many of the city’s poor and destitute as possible. Ann was also there again. Ann is a friend of the ministry whom we met in the park some time ago. She is truly “joyful always” as the Scripture says all Christians ought to be. I’ve never seen her without a smile and her Bible in hand. God’s mercies are made known to us through Ann every time we see her.
If you’ve prayed for us, thanks. Our prayer requests going forward continue to be for our finances and for more workers, especially those who are led to cook a meal every once and a while.
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. –2 Peter 1:5-9
Grace and peace to you in the name Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world! Our outreach yesterday went well by God’s grace, which He lavishes on us abundantly through Jesus Christ. Aside from the perfect temperature, sun shining through the bright green trees, blue skies with dazzling arrays of fluffy clouds, all of which declare God’s glory (Ps 19; Romans 1), God revealed Himself in His eternal word as it was proclaimed to many in the park by Ron Blevins.
Ron preached on John 3:14 with the purpose of expositing 2 Corinthians 5:21, which reads, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” He showed us all how the plain truth found in this letter to the Corinthians could be seen all the way back in the time of Moses when the Israelites rebelled against him and God in the desert, and God sent venomous serpents among them in an act of judgment. Ron showed us how the serpent represented evil, as it did in the Garden of Eden, and how the serpent had to be lifted up for the Israelites to gaze upon it and be saved from the poison in their veins from the serpents that had bitten them. Likewise, as Christ teaches in John 3:14, Christ had to be lifted up and had to be sin, though He had no sin, so that all who look upon Him will be healed of the poison of sin that runs through their veins. Indeed, “by His stripes, we are healed” and thereby set free from our self-inflicted sin and rebellion against God. Hallelujah!
Suzy and I provided the meal and several new “workers” (See Matthew 9:38) helped us serve it and also minister to those in the park. Among these new workers were Jack and Peter, who are in a Bible study with Tom Malloy, who has been a regular attendee over the past handful of weeks. In addition, Joe came down again. Joe first learned of LWWDC’s street homeless ministry through an announcement in his church bulletin. There was also another Joe, who found out about the ministry from Derek. This other Joe actually dove into the outreach headfirst as he sat next to “the man with the red hat,” who is the most intractable and verbally violent homeless man we have run across in the 2+ years we have been coming to the park. Joe talked to this man for over a half hour. We pray that Joe made headway for God’s glory in the life of the “man with the red hat.”
Thank you for your prayers. If you are led to pray for us going forward, please pray for our finances, that God would raise up more support, for the means for a winter coat drive, and for more workers. We pray that this outreach may be an encouraging testimony to you of the works of the living God.
It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because
his compassions fail not.
They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in Him.
The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh Him.
It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of
the LORD.
-- Lamentations 3:22-26 (the prophet Jeremiah, worshipping God from the bottom
of a muddy cistern)
Greetings once again from McPherson Square park! We had a very blessed, yet challenging day yesterday in which we were reminded of the daily mercies of our faithful LORD.
We were blessed with many helping hands, as we had new workers from all over the DC area come down to help serve lunch, pray with the homeless and encourage the rest of the workers in park. Jeremiah came down with some of his friends to serve fresh spaghetti, both with meat sauce and without, steamed vegetables that were termed “delicious” by one gentleman when he was asked, bread and butter, fruit punch, pink lemonade, ice tea and water. Renee and Brian, who are due to be married early next year, continued to bless those in the park with homemade cakes, cookies and brownies. We also had several bags of clothes to hand out after lunch was served. We even had enough new pairs of white athletic socks to give a pair to every individual who asked. Praise the LORD, who gives all needful things to those who seek His Kingdom and His righteousness first (Matthew 6:33).
Ron was the preacher for the day, yet he was prevented from finding a parking spot for over 20 minutes as the rest of the outreach waited with rain clouds threatening. Derek read from his Bible for most of the time while we were waiting for Ron. Many began to worry that we might not beat the rain, as the line of men swelled and the clock ticked on. Some thought to begin serving the lunch before the sermon, which has always come first. However, we waited knowing that it’s the spiritual food that gives life to the soul. As the word says, “Man cannot live on bread alone.” Many of those in the park have fallen into the sin of letting their stomachs be their gods (Phil. 3:19), rather than mortifying the flesh, as we are told to do (Romans 8:13). Obesity is a common problem. However, it is always encouraging to see those who bear the fruits of being Christian in the park who put the fruits of the spirit before their hunger pains. Many a Christian amongst the homeless population in the park will abstain from the rush to receive clothes or the travails of the lunchline in an effort to proclaim that “man cannot live on bread alone.”
Ron arrived to preach on the ultimate promise that is given to all Christians, that of eternal life by trusting in Christ’s death in our place. Ron contrasted this promise with the false promises advanced by the ruler of this world. Ron also reminded his listeners (with fitting passion) of the early martyrs of the church from Peter to James, holding them out as examples of the world’s hatred toward Christians. His message was bolstered by yesterday’s bombings of Christian churches in Iraq. We trust that God’s word will not return void.
After the sermon, we began to serve lunch. However, a panic rippled throughout the line and the workers when rain drops began to fall. In the end, all who were hungry were served lunch, as a group of workers held umbrellas over another group who served the food. The rain came down but never to the point of ending the outreach. “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
The LORD’s mercies were shown in Joseph’s life this week. Joseph was the homeless guy who is an older, mature Christian who helped us deal with the lawless woman who professed to be Christian, yet disrupted the outreach last Sunday. Joseph told me how he was praying for work and happened to walk down an alley subsequent to last Sunday. He saw a building under construction and gazed upward. As he stood there, he was questioned by an onlooker as to whether he understood the type of work that was being done. Joseph showed the man his electrical license and said he did understand. The onlooker was the foreman and he asked Joseph what he was paid last. Joseph said he got $34 an hour. The foreman offered $25 an hour for a position that would put Joseph in charge of all the electricians on the job. The foreman proceeded to ask Joseph whether he had a place to stay. When Joseph said “no,” the foreman offered his basement apartment free of charge. The foreman went on to offer to buy Joseph all the tools he needed. Before Joseph told me all of this, I thought I saw a glow in his face, like he had been with the LORD. No wonder. “Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all of these things will be given to you.”
There’s much more but we will need all of eternity to tell. There’s Mr. Nakoda, who is mentally ill, but a treasured creature of God. I pray that we will see him in heaven with all his faculties and smiling ear to ear as we cry out together: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD God Almighty!”. . .
This past Sunday was a good day in which we were blessed with many helping hands. Nigel, Tom, Hamed and several others came down with a desire to serve "the least of these brothers" of Christ and thereby serve our Lord Himself. Derek works tirelessly to bring the 9-foot cross, gray bin with all of the supplies for serving lunch and the two banquet tables every Sunday. He rarely misses a Sunday and thereby rarely takes weekends off. Please pray for our brother, that God would encourage him and give him perseverance as he seeks to live a life worth of his calling as an adopted son of God.
I preached on the rejection of Esau (Hebrews 12:17) and it's larger implications for those who would trade the inheritance rights of God, which are freely given through faith in Jesus Christ for the objects of their physical desires in the world. I talked about the real fact that many who bow their knees to Jesus Christ on Judgment Day will be rejected as Esau was, even with tears as Esau had, as they hear those riveting words, "I never knew you; depart from Me." I was hoping to use the Word to address the very real issue that we find many guys on the streets who continue to say "tomorrow" when asked when they will repent and turn from their sins, whether their sins be drugs, sex, theft or just not worshiping God as they should. I sought to convey some of the hard teaching of our Lord having to do with the coming Judgment and the punishment of hell of which Jesus spoke so much. I concluded by reciting the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians, "Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (vs. 20-22)
At one point during the outreach, a self-proclaimed "prophetess" began to interrupt the outreach. She berated me and quarreled with Derek and Joseph, a brother in Christ who lives on the streets. Joseph knows the Bible very well, is probably in his 50's, and shows up every couple of weeks with words of encouragement, fellowship and, in this case, leadership as to how to deal with such a situation. Also, it was incredibly encouraging to us as guy after guy in the food line stood up for us and questioned whether the woman was from God, not giving her an ear.
Dear Lord, help us bring your timeless message of Good News to Washington, D.C. and to those on the streets, for whom Jesus had such a heart. Thank you Lord for the friendships that you've given us with the guys in the park.
Thank you for your prayers. Please continue to pray for us.
“Praise the LORD!
Praise, O servants of the LORD,
Praise the name of the LORD!
Blessed be the name of the LORD
From this time forth and forevermore!
From the rising of the sun to its going down
The LORD's name is to be praised.” (Psalm 113:1-3)
We met in the park once again today in the glorious name of Jesus Christ to bring a preaching, lunch, clothing and fellowship to the inhabitants of McPherson Square Park. Ron and Deanna brought fresh cold cuts and all of the fixings for sandwiches including a choice of relish or pickles, grapes, cookies and drinks. We try to take the same amount of time and thoughtfulness in preparing meals for the homeless as we would for ourselves, thus fulfilling the second greatest commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves.
The line of men desiring a meal was the longest I’ve ever seen. We were told by many that this was because we were the first group, Christian or non-Christian, to come to the park with food in at least a day. Folks were very hungry today. Aside from that, we glory in God’s great provision, His common grace, for all people including those in the park. Indeed, He is worthy of all of our praise according to the example given to us in Psalm 113. The only folks who brought food to the park closest to the White House in the most powerful city in the world came in the name of Jesus Christ for the glory of the One who made this country great. Hallelujah!
I met a man named Steven today. He said he is an unemployed computer programmer from Vienna, Virginia. He also confessed to being a drunkard and acknowledged that he would not be homeless had it not been for this persistent sin in his life. He said he knows about how Jesus Christ died for his sins. He was very kind and pleased to hear that we would be in the park every Sunday with God’s grace. Indeed, we hear all the time from guys that they come to the park to be with us and partake of the blessings of the LORD.
We had several new workers join us today. Jeremy has attended a couple of times since December. He prayed for a service opportunity and says that God led him to us. Joe read about us in the bulletin at his church this morning and decided to come down and serve alongside us. Martin Berend is a friend of Jerri Plemmons who was able to come down to see what Jerri has been talking about for many months now at their place of employment.
Please join us in praising God for making His Name great in McPherson Square park today. Thank you for your prayers for our safety and for the Gospel to continue to be preached and, lastly, for revival to begin in McPherson Square park.
Today was a good day—a day that the LORD has made. We were underway by about 2 p.m. Suzy and I brought lunchmeat and other “fixings” for sandwiches, along with potato chips and apples. We also dispensed about 12 gallons of juice and punch. The guys and a few gals were very hungry and extremely thirsty today. We probably served around 150 sandwiches to approximately 80 individuals. We continue to sense that there are less people these days bringing food and drinks to the park, at least on Sundays. However, as Ron preached today, the LORD continues to provide for these folks in the park through us, who are mere vessels for these blessings and for His Word, the Word that has been preached for hundreds of years. Indeed, what we are doing is absolutely unoriginal, which is good as far as we are concerned. There’s no need to recreate this Wheel.
Ron preached on the blessings that God bestows on His children in the larger context of a sermon devoted to highlighting one of Satan’s time-tested means of tempting people to seize upon their own sinful desires. Ron began with the story of the temptation of Jesus in the desert during which Satan offered all the kingdoms of the earth in exchange for Jesus worshipping him. Ron pointed out that the Devil typically does not reveal himself when he tempts others this way as he did for Jesus, but that he or his servants may come masquerading as an angel of light or servants of righteousness in the form of a teacher who professes to be Christian. Ron’s appeal was that if his listeners sought God’s kingdom and His righteousness through Jesus Christ, that all of their needs would be provided for. Ron concluded with God’s Word as he read,
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. (Titus 2:11-14)
We cling the promise in the Bible that God’s Word does not return void.
Ron also had a chance to get clothing from McLean Bible Church’s clothing ministry this past week. Susan Wyant heads up this ministry and she regularly arranges for clothes to be placed into a bin with Living Water’s name on it. We are grateful for Susan’s service and the avenue it opens up for us to give clothing to the homeless in the park in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We thank you for your prayers, friendship and service to the King of kings.
Many of you who know what the weather was like in DC yesterday might be wondering whether we actually had an outreach to the homeless. Well, while it was an adventure to say the least, we eventually were able to set up on the sidewalk outside of the McPherson Square Metro stop and have a full outreach. Suzy and I met Derek when the rain was coming down so hard that there were veritable rivers running along the sides of the streets. We decided to wait out the storm in Cosi’s and wait for the LORD to answer our prayers for the rain to stop. By about 2:30 or 3:00 p.m., the rain had died down to a typical “DC drizzle,” so we ventured outside and went over to the Metro stop.
Derek tied the nine-foot wood cross to a parking meter and set up the tables on the southern side of I Street outside of the Metro entrance/exit. I began to preach about Jacob and Esau as part of my series on the examples given to us in Hebrews 11 and 12 from inside the Metro entrance/exit to allow for guys to avoid the “drizzle” and also to allow for my voice to be heard better. However, police showed up within minutes and told the guys to clear out of the Metro entrance/exit area, not saying a word to me as I stood preaching with Bible in hand. (Let’s thank God for this type of freedom!) We understood their concerns about clogging up the entrance/exit and moved out onto the sidewalk. I completed the sermon but not without some hindrances, most notably the sound of the Metro each time a train passed underground (we were set up on the grates in the sidewalk directly overhead) and a few motorcades.
Consistent with Independence Day traditions, we served sandwiches, potato and pasta salad and watermelon. Upwards of 100 guys came through the line. At one point while we were serving lunch, a huge motorcade passed. In full view of the eight foot cross and the long line of homeless men, dozens of motorcycle cops and cars passed by. I saw at least one cop look over and give us a “thumbs up”. Derek waved to them all. As has been the case in prior weeks and months, at least two of the homeless men assisted us from the beginning of the outreach to the end. Indeed, when we pull up to the side of the curb in the beginning of an outreach to drop off equipment, clothes and food, we rarely go unassisted and frequently don’t have to lift a finger, as the men in the park will hustle over to us to help.
So, by the grace of God, we have not yet missed one Sunday for over two years now. God has chosen to raise up “workers” for this harvest field at McPherson Square Park consistently for two years. Why do we care not to miss? Are we caught up in measuring our good deeds against our bad? No, this could not be farther from the truth. The truth is that we want to reflect the merciful persistence of the “Hound of Heaven” who pursued each of us, even to the point of running towards us as He ran to the Prodigal Son. We know that while we were not homeless at one point in time, our sins had made us stinky and dirty and poor in spirit like the homeless—and that is where Jesus Christ found us. He came into our pagan lives and breathed life into our dead bodies. If this is how Jesus Christ treated us, our souls cry out to introduce others to Him and to be “ambassadors” of the One who saved us from the wrath to come. Amen.
Please pray for us, that when we open our mouths, words may be given to us that we may fearlessly make known the mystery of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Today was another good day in which God's great goodness, holiness and power was demonstrated through the ministry at McPherson Square Park.
Derek preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He focused talked about the Great Banquet that was the centerpiece of more than one of Christ's parables describing salvation for the believer. Derek asked the question to those who continue to refuse to repent and trust on Jesus: Why would you willingly turn down this invitation from the Lord if you would certainly not turn down an invitation to a worldly banquet? Later on, the Lord lovingly sent a messenger in the form of an average man on the street, a Christian man, to Derek, Ron and myself and who said that the reason that so many turn down the invitation to the Great Banquet is that "they are not willing to die." He explained that they love their sin too much and the pleasures it produced for their flesh. He echoed Christ's teaching that, "whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will find it." (Mat 16:25) This man, whom none of us had ever met before, was an incredible encouragement to us as he said that we should not be discouraged and keep up the good work and that the Word of God never returns void. Ahh. O Lord, your mercies are new every day.
Kelly Lee's Bible study brought a sandwich lunch to feed approximately 100 guys and a few women. One comment Kelly made today was that she notices that the homeless men truly seem to appreciate it when she gives them options as to their lunch when they pass through the line. For example, she asks them if they want mayo or mustard. She supposes it is one reflection of a caring attitude, which is motivated more by love rather than obligation. From the beginning, we have been convicted that we can express God's love to the folks by the types of meals we provide.
Tom Malloy came down for his second time to serve along-side us. He says that he could not avoid the fact that God was calling him to help the poor and destitute in DC. He and some friends brought some of their own clothes down to the park today and participated in handing them out to a large crowd of homeless men.
Thanks you for your interest in and/or support of this ministry. We pray that God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ become greater and we become lesser through all of it. Your prayers along these lines are appreciated.
Greetings all! Well, I'm writing because Suzy and I were led to start sharing descriptions of "days in the life of" the street homeless ministry of LWWDC—beginning with today.
We were particularly blessed by Jerri Plemmons today who, along with her mom who was visiting from California, prepared bag lunches for the meal today and gave the standard food crews a break. Thank you Jerri and thank you LORD! Jerri has also been primarily responsible for bringing clothes to the outreach most Sundays, as the LORD has led her to some folks who have tons of clothes ready to be donated but no one to take them.
Derek preached to the crowd in McPherson Square before we served the bag lunches. He preached about how each and every individual is either a child of God, living in the light, or a prisoner to their own sin and the devil, living in darkness. Ryan talked to Fred for most of the outreach. Fred is a formerly homeless older gentleman who professes Christ to be his Lord and Savior. He was on the street for several years in a couple of shelters but now lives in a nice home in DC with a woman who will spend the rest of her life in a wheel chair in all likelihood. Fred essentially helps this woman in exchange for a room in the house. He says that he has always wanted to give to others because God has given him so much, including the breath that he was breathing today—Amen, thank you LORD!
We'd like to welcome the new members of this group. We look forward to serving along-side you in the name of Jesus Christ, helping the "least of these brothers" of His.
"'This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.'" (Mark 4:26-29)
Last updated: April 10, 2005.
Interested in volunteering? Click here if you would like to learn more about our regular homeless outreach.
We welcome your feedback.