Posts
During the winter months, it’s pretty common for quite a few Otter Creekers to stock their cars with gloves, hats, hand warmers and other items intended to help folks stay warm. Once the weather starts to warm up, the winter supplies get put away in exchange for bottles of water. As I was watching the news last summer I saw an interview with the Metro Action Commission who was featured giving away air conditioners (A/C’s) to the elderly and other medically fragile people. I called to make an appointment to talk with them to better understand the program. Much to my surprise I learned the program of free A/C’s was not a part of their budget but totally funded by donations from businesses and individuals. That peaked my interest in a possible extension of summer outreach assistance.
I took a trip to Home Depot and found that Otter Creek could buy a one room A/C for $99! I bought 2 and put them in the back of my Explorer. Over the next 3 months in 2008 I gave away five A/C’s to people that we learned of were in serious need of cooling. I found it to be a great way to get to spend a little time with folks we might not otherwise get to meet. Just about anyone is willing to offer you a glass of water if you carry in a A/C, set it up for them, turn it on and show them how to use it.
So for 2009 I’ve been doing the same thing. I’ve got a couple of room A/C’s in the back of my Explorer. We given away two so far this summer. Could we have given away more? Absolutely. But we’re not in the A/C giveaway business. We’re looking for ways to build relationships. Even Jesus told folks “no” that were in need of healing with the more important focus on preaching the word (see if you can find that reference in the Bible). But this past week, I took the A/C giveaway and added a twist. In a conversation with a Franklin woman who had called looking for an A/C, I learned she had a church home in North Nashville (quite a drive on Sunday morning). I told her Otter Creek would be glad to give her an A/C, but that we wanted to give it to her minister so he could install it for her. I asked her to have him call me. This took a few days to coordinate and a little explaining about our rationale for such an arrangement. But once the minister and I had time to talk, he came by the church office and picked up the A/C. Our prayer is that the gift of an A/C can be used by God to grow the relationship between this woman and her church.
If you’re interested in helping with the A/C ministry and don’t want to actually carry one around in your car, then feel free to purchase one and drop it off at the church office. You can also make a contribution to Otter Creek and we’ll see that it goes to help purchase additional A/C’s to be given away to people in need. And if neither of those fit your calling (and even if you decide you can afford to buy one), please keep this outreach in your prayers. Pray that God will use the gift of an A/C to open up someone’s heart to entering into a conversation about the abundant life. And pray that God will use Otter Creek to be his hands and feet to the people sweltering in the summer heat…
6.24.09
How many times have you been hungry? I mean without food and without access to food? Personally, I can’t think of a time that I have been hungry when it wasn’t voluntary (as in a time of fasting), and even in those instances, I always knew there was food in the pantry and refrigerator.
Do you know hungry people? I do.. There are people right down Franklin Rd. that haven’t eaten in a few days, are hungry and don’t have a back stock of food to draw from. Otter Creek loves to eat. We have cookouts, potlucks, receptions, gatherings, bake sales, dinners, breakfasts and just about every other form of getting together you can imagine – and at almost every one of them, we have food. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about the folks at Otter Creek it’s that if you have a gathering and it involves food, you don’t have to worry about running out of food!! You don’t even have to get too worried that an open invitation without specifying what type of food to bring will result in too many green beans and not enough rolls. It just always seems to work out and we always seem to end up with leftovers. And that’s what bothers me. Not that we have leftovers, but that most of us don’t recognize the gift that those leftovers could be to people that are hungry. It’s not that we want people to go hungry. I’m convinced that we are a compassionate people and that we would acknowledge food as a basic right for everyone. It’s simply a matter that we don’t know what to do with the leftovers…
I think that comes from my first question – do you know hungry people? Most of us don’t – I know that before I started in this ministry role, I really didn’t know anybody that was hungry. But now I do know people and families that are hungry and I can’t just walk away from seeing food thrown out after an Otter Creek event. Every Wednesday night this summer we are having a community meal as a part of our time together. And almost every Wednesday night there’s food left over.
Earlier today I got a call from a woman who told me about her and several other woman living in a condemned house with no electricity or water. She called to ask me if I might bring them some food. I told her I’d be there later tonight expecting there would be leftovers from our meal. Sure enough, we had leftover BBQ, beans, slaw and all the fixin’s. I was able to load it up in my Explorer along with a few cakes and cookies we had stored in one of our church refrigerators. I headed downtown to a side street where several woman work during the evening. As soon as I pulled up I heard one of them call to another to tell her, “Your pastor is here.. I think he’s brought us something to eat”. We pulled up a table under a street light beside the condemned house and spread the feast compliments of Otter Creek. Out of the shadows came 4 other women who fixed themselves a sandwich, poured a cup of sweet tea and sat down on the street curb to eat. It was a blessing to be able to sit with them for a few minutes to hear about their day, listen to their plans for tomorrow and try to be a positive encouragement to them.
As we go about cleaning up from our church meals, let’s try to remember that just because we don’t know a hungry person doesn’t mean there aren’t people just a few miles from us that have empty stomachs. Enjoy your meal and eat to your heart’s content. But be aware of the excess that you take. Try to remember to put on your plate what you are going to eat. And if you are part of the clean up crew, look for ways to wrap up and package the leftovers so that those of us that know hungry people can take it to them. And if you’re ever interested in going to meet folks that are looking for where their next meal might come from, call or email me and we’ll go for a ride.
Do you know hungry people? I do.. There are people right down Franklin Rd. that haven’t eaten in a few days, are hungry and don’t have a back stock of food to draw from. Otter Creek loves to eat. We have cookouts, potlucks, receptions, gatherings, bake sales, dinners, breakfasts and just about every other form of getting together you can imagine – and at almost every one of them, we have food. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about the folks at Otter Creek it’s that if you have a gathering and it involves food, you don’t have to worry about running out of food!! You don’t even have to get too worried that an open invitation without specifying what type of food to bring will result in too many green beans and not enough rolls. It just always seems to work out and we always seem to end up with leftovers. And that’s what bothers me. Not that we have leftovers, but that most of us don’t recognize the gift that those leftovers could be to people that are hungry. It’s not that we want people to go hungry. I’m convinced that we are a compassionate people and that we would acknowledge food as a basic right for everyone. It’s simply a matter that we don’t know what to do with the leftovers…
I think that comes from my first question – do you know hungry people? Most of us don’t – I know that before I started in this ministry role, I really didn’t know anybody that was hungry. But now I do know people and families that are hungry and I can’t just walk away from seeing food thrown out after an Otter Creek event. Every Wednesday night this summer we are having a community meal as a part of our time together. And almost every Wednesday night there’s food left over.
Earlier today I got a call from a woman who told me about her and several other woman living in a condemned house with no electricity or water. She called to ask me if I might bring them some food. I told her I’d be there later tonight expecting there would be leftovers from our meal. Sure enough, we had leftover BBQ, beans, slaw and all the fixin’s. I was able to load it up in my Explorer along with a few cakes and cookies we had stored in one of our church refrigerators. I headed downtown to a side street where several woman work during the evening. As soon as I pulled up I heard one of them call to another to tell her, “Your pastor is here.. I think he’s brought us something to eat”. We pulled up a table under a street light beside the condemned house and spread the feast compliments of Otter Creek. Out of the shadows came 4 other women who fixed themselves a sandwich, poured a cup of sweet tea and sat down on the street curb to eat. It was a blessing to be able to sit with them for a few minutes to hear about their day, listen to their plans for tomorrow and try to be a positive encouragement to them.
As we go about cleaning up from our church meals, let’s try to remember that just because we don’t know a hungry person doesn’t mean there aren’t people just a few miles from us that have empty stomachs. Enjoy your meal and eat to your heart’s content. But be aware of the excess that you take. Try to remember to put on your plate what you are going to eat. And if you are part of the clean up crew, look for ways to wrap up and package the leftovers so that those of us that know hungry people can take it to them. And if you’re ever interested in going to meet folks that are looking for where their next meal might come from, call or email me and we’ll go for a ride.
6.22.09
I was blessed to be able to visit the young woman whom I referenced in the previous posting that had been shot and was recovering. The friend with whom she was staying has lost her job and is struggling to provide for herself, her friend and their children. However, the visit was one of the most inspiring and encouraging times I’ve spent in a long time. It’s such a joy to know someone who seems to really recognize that they’ve been given another chance at life and are so appreciative of it. This woman has a story to tell and is determined to regain her strength and take on that role. In the meantime, the determination to overcome obstacles has motivated me to solicit help from the community for her. She has no insurance and while Vanderbilt seems to have given her outstanding service, she has not been discharged and is, to a great extent, on her own. I know very little about the medical issues she is facing but I learned about colostomy bags while visiting with her. Simply put, she can’t afford to buy them. So she and her caregiver are on the internet requesting samples from as many suppliers as possible. The challenge is that not all bags attach the same way so they are having to “rig” different bags to the piece that attaches to her body. And these don’t always match up which means the bags leak and come unattached which makes a humiliating mess. As soon as I left I made a call to an Otter Creek urologist and explained the need. He put me in touch with a nurse who handles conditions like this. When I told her who I was she said that she thought she knew me. Turns out her husband is a minister at a local church that Otter Creek has partnered with on other outreach projects and he had mentioned my name and our church to her!! She immediately asked me to fax her the details of the supplies she needed and she has started contacting the medical suppliers to help meet the need. Who says God doesn’t network? There are other needs - both emotional, physical and financial that this woman and the sweet woman that has opened up her house to care for her – that are real and need to be addressed. Counseling, medicines, assistance with filing of claims, financial help to meet the day-to-day costs of the house. If you’re interested in learning more about how you can help, or if you just want to offer your time, resources, connections or money, email me and we’ll figure something out.
There are too many stories to tell that came from our time together. The desperation of addition, the hopelessness of not feeling like there is anywhere to turn, the fear of knowing you are so dependent on men who see you as dispensable. But even with a colostomy bag, a catheter bag, a neck brace, bullet shrapnel still lodged in her body, the inability to sleep at night and the fear of seeing “his truck” drive down the street (this man has still not been caught!!), this woman is talking about going back to school and becoming the mother to her 6yr old daughter that she knows she needs to be. She knows God has a plan for her and she is looking to see where that plan will take her.
Have you ever gone to the kitchen, opened the drawer that holds the forks, spoons and knives and it’s been empty? I have… but that’s my signal to know it’s time to empty the dishwasher and restock. I got a call yesterday from a lady who lives in one of the housing projects. She was calling to ask if we might be able to help a mom and her 3 yr old daughter. The mom had just gotten out of a 45 day rehab program and moved into her apartment. She was trying to get her life back together. But in visiting with this mom, the woman who called me said she saw that she was using a couple of plastic utensils. When she asked the mom explained that she only had one fry pan, no plates and no utensils. This woman was calling to say she had heard we had a furniture ministry but wanted to know if we could help with this need. Through the generosity of Otter Creek members and friends we not only have a furniture ministry, we have many of the kitchen items that most of us take for granted. So today, I loaded up a box with pots, pans, lids, cookie sheets, plates, bowls, cups and eating utensils and delivered them to this mom and her daughter. We had time to sit and chat and learn a little about her journey and her desire to be a better mom. She’s in a touch neighborhood where the reality is that it’s highly likely she will not be able to stay clean. She knows it, but with her only income coming from Social Security she has little choice but to live there. She needs good influences and they are hard to find. If you’d like to meet her and get to know her, email me and we’ll talk about how to make that happen.
In the meantime, please keep both these women and their children in your prayers. Thank God we are not called to fix anybody – that’s God’s work.
There are too many stories to tell that came from our time together. The desperation of addition, the hopelessness of not feeling like there is anywhere to turn, the fear of knowing you are so dependent on men who see you as dispensable. But even with a colostomy bag, a catheter bag, a neck brace, bullet shrapnel still lodged in her body, the inability to sleep at night and the fear of seeing “his truck” drive down the street (this man has still not been caught!!), this woman is talking about going back to school and becoming the mother to her 6yr old daughter that she knows she needs to be. She knows God has a plan for her and she is looking to see where that plan will take her.
Have you ever gone to the kitchen, opened the drawer that holds the forks, spoons and knives and it’s been empty? I have… but that’s my signal to know it’s time to empty the dishwasher and restock. I got a call yesterday from a lady who lives in one of the housing projects. She was calling to ask if we might be able to help a mom and her 3 yr old daughter. The mom had just gotten out of a 45 day rehab program and moved into her apartment. She was trying to get her life back together. But in visiting with this mom, the woman who called me said she saw that she was using a couple of plastic utensils. When she asked the mom explained that she only had one fry pan, no plates and no utensils. This woman was calling to say she had heard we had a furniture ministry but wanted to know if we could help with this need. Through the generosity of Otter Creek members and friends we not only have a furniture ministry, we have many of the kitchen items that most of us take for granted. So today, I loaded up a box with pots, pans, lids, cookie sheets, plates, bowls, cups and eating utensils and delivered them to this mom and her daughter. We had time to sit and chat and learn a little about her journey and her desire to be a better mom. She’s in a touch neighborhood where the reality is that it’s highly likely she will not be able to stay clean. She knows it, but with her only income coming from Social Security she has little choice but to live there. She needs good influences and they are hard to find. If you’d like to meet her and get to know her, email me and we’ll talk about how to make that happen.
In the meantime, please keep both these women and their children in your prayers. Thank God we are not called to fix anybody – that’s God’s work.
6.18.09
Today I had the chance to speak to a group of business, government and service provider leaders who were called together by 3 very influential businessmen to begin to craft a plan to make a dent in the issue of homeless children in the Nashville area. I’ve had the chance to meet with these 3 men as the preparation work for this meeting was being done. They are concerned about a lot of issues around poverty and the plight of marginalized people, but they are passionate about addressing the dilemma of homeless moms and their children. They were tired of all the studies and measurements about them. They were ready to do something, even if it wasn’t the end-all solution to the problem. They asked me to present the main case to the group being called to the meeting. The primary proposal was that within the next 90 days the group would locate 3 strategically located housing complexes of 50 units each, and then to acquire, refurbish, furnish and turn each one over to one of several agencies prepared to oversee the implementation of a program of service and support for the moms and their children.
The discussion among the participants after the presentation was incredible. This was due in large part to the select group of people who were invited to attend. Most of them got the idea that they were invited there by very serious men who intended to see something done. The few that raised concerns about moving too fast were politely told that “when a house is on fire you don’t discuss how to arrange the furniture, and this house is on fire!”. I think everyone got the picture and we left with several groups being formed to get to work within the next 2 weeks with plans for entire group to reassemble in one month with results. I was particularly please to be involved with a sub-group targeting awareness and involvement of the Nashville community of churches. My first call will be to the leaders & ministers of the churches where the people attend who were at today’s meeting. I plan to ask those people to make the introductions and be the catalyst to call their churches to action.
Over the last couple of weeks as I was preparing for my presentation I received an email about the very issue we were addressing - the decision that many moms must make in order to provide for their children. This email (slightly edited for confidentiality) is about a mom who has a 6 yr old child.
Dear friends,
I am writing because you have a beautiful voice that for years has advocated for women who have survived lives of addiction, prostitution and violence. I just got back awhile ago from Vanderbilt hospital visiting a woman some of you know. She had been clean five years, but after her relapse four months ago she knew she needed help and was the first on a waiting list at our recovery community. About 10 days ago a white male in his early 60s picked her up saying they were going to a nearby one hour motel for a date. She quickly got into the car to make sure she didn't get arrested and then the guy drove her instead to a wooded creek. They climbed over a guard rail and went down by the creek where he began to have sex with her. She was leaning over, not facing him, when he suddenly stopped, got a gun out and shot her through her vagina, exploding her bladder, cutting through her intestines and going into the spinal cord. He then shot her again in the shoulder and left her for dead. This beautiful woman in her 30's then crawled back up the steep hill and made it over the guard rail until she flagged someone down to help who called 911. She was brought into the hospital and splayed open to figure out what to do. Today they removed countless staples from her sternum to her pelvis and is now held together with tape. She has not talked to the police, although she is now willing to, she has just been trying to survive, but wonders how much good it will do now that so much time has past. She says she has been, "treated like a princess" since her arrival at Vanderbilt and that she can't believe how they have met all her needs. She is being discharged on Tuesday to a friend's house while the social worker at Vanderbilt tries to get her medicad straight so she can go into physical rehab. She said that she already knows how to change the bag on her stomach, but there are some other concerns.
There is so much to talk about, but I promised her she has a group that is willing to help and that what happened to her was one of the most horrific stories I have ever heard. I told her that she needed to talk to the police and make sure this guy does not do this again. She said what was so strange is that he never said a word or acted crazy. It somehow feels like in the presence of the story all the arguments and talk about issues around prostitution we just need to stop and people need to feel outraged---at the circumstances that leads women to heading out to the streets, to the violence they endure once they are there, and the lack of a comprehensive approach to helping the women come back to a community. I told her that a couple of us would meet with the social worker, that we would talk to her friend and help financially, and that we would be advocates for her getting medicad. I also told her that we would stay with her for years. She told me to share her story, but keep her name private.
While this story may seem unbelievable to many of us, you should know that this woman has been in some of the classes that I and others from Otter Creek have taught. And while she knows there are people willing to stand with her and for her, she got to a point of desperation and decided to act on her own rather than reach out to those people. To me, it’s a matter of trust and availability – have we been there enough for her to trust us to call for help rather than get in a stranger’s car? This time the answer was no. As we continue to build relationships with this woman and others like her, my prayer is that she will have seen the love of Jesus through us and will make the call and we will be there for her – just like Jesus has been (and continues to be) there for us. And my prayer is that the results of this morning's meeting will be that this mom and her child won't have to make the decision of how to get enought money to survive, but that they'll have a safe place to live in a community of people who love her and sho she can trust. - kinda sounds like what the church should be...
The discussion among the participants after the presentation was incredible. This was due in large part to the select group of people who were invited to attend. Most of them got the idea that they were invited there by very serious men who intended to see something done. The few that raised concerns about moving too fast were politely told that “when a house is on fire you don’t discuss how to arrange the furniture, and this house is on fire!”. I think everyone got the picture and we left with several groups being formed to get to work within the next 2 weeks with plans for entire group to reassemble in one month with results. I was particularly please to be involved with a sub-group targeting awareness and involvement of the Nashville community of churches. My first call will be to the leaders & ministers of the churches where the people attend who were at today’s meeting. I plan to ask those people to make the introductions and be the catalyst to call their churches to action.
Over the last couple of weeks as I was preparing for my presentation I received an email about the very issue we were addressing - the decision that many moms must make in order to provide for their children. This email (slightly edited for confidentiality) is about a mom who has a 6 yr old child.
Dear friends,
I am writing because you have a beautiful voice that for years has advocated for women who have survived lives of addiction, prostitution and violence. I just got back awhile ago from Vanderbilt hospital visiting a woman some of you know. She had been clean five years, but after her relapse four months ago she knew she needed help and was the first on a waiting list at our recovery community. About 10 days ago a white male in his early 60s picked her up saying they were going to a nearby one hour motel for a date. She quickly got into the car to make sure she didn't get arrested and then the guy drove her instead to a wooded creek. They climbed over a guard rail and went down by the creek where he began to have sex with her. She was leaning over, not facing him, when he suddenly stopped, got a gun out and shot her through her vagina, exploding her bladder, cutting through her intestines and going into the spinal cord. He then shot her again in the shoulder and left her for dead. This beautiful woman in her 30's then crawled back up the steep hill and made it over the guard rail until she flagged someone down to help who called 911. She was brought into the hospital and splayed open to figure out what to do. Today they removed countless staples from her sternum to her pelvis and is now held together with tape. She has not talked to the police, although she is now willing to, she has just been trying to survive, but wonders how much good it will do now that so much time has past. She says she has been, "treated like a princess" since her arrival at Vanderbilt and that she can't believe how they have met all her needs. She is being discharged on Tuesday to a friend's house while the social worker at Vanderbilt tries to get her medicad straight so she can go into physical rehab. She said that she already knows how to change the bag on her stomach, but there are some other concerns.
There is so much to talk about, but I promised her she has a group that is willing to help and that what happened to her was one of the most horrific stories I have ever heard. I told her that she needed to talk to the police and make sure this guy does not do this again. She said what was so strange is that he never said a word or acted crazy. It somehow feels like in the presence of the story all the arguments and talk about issues around prostitution we just need to stop and people need to feel outraged---at the circumstances that leads women to heading out to the streets, to the violence they endure once they are there, and the lack of a comprehensive approach to helping the women come back to a community. I told her that a couple of us would meet with the social worker, that we would talk to her friend and help financially, and that we would be advocates for her getting medicad. I also told her that we would stay with her for years. She told me to share her story, but keep her name private.
While this story may seem unbelievable to many of us, you should know that this woman has been in some of the classes that I and others from Otter Creek have taught. And while she knows there are people willing to stand with her and for her, she got to a point of desperation and decided to act on her own rather than reach out to those people. To me, it’s a matter of trust and availability – have we been there enough for her to trust us to call for help rather than get in a stranger’s car? This time the answer was no. As we continue to build relationships with this woman and others like her, my prayer is that she will have seen the love of Jesus through us and will make the call and we will be there for her – just like Jesus has been (and continues to be) there for us. And my prayer is that the results of this morning's meeting will be that this mom and her child won't have to make the decision of how to get enought money to survive, but that they'll have a safe place to live in a community of people who love her and sho she can trust. - kinda sounds like what the church should be...
6.14.09
Bonnaroo update – I’m more than a little overwhelmed at the potential for service at Bonnaroo. Not being completely “up” on the music scene, I was able to walk around and observe people and situations through a lens that most of the people in attendance might not think to or chose to look through. I saw young girls crying and upset and couldn’t help but wonder if they had been in an argument with their boyfriend and needed someone to talk with. I saw young men walking around looking like they were there by themselves and in need of someone to talk with. At just about every venue or event I attended I had the chance to introduce myself to the people setting around me and found them to be anxious to talk to me and tell me parts of their story – all with just the slightest of promptings (e.g. tell me about your trip down here…)
A particular interesting observation was from the support staff (safety, security, clean up, medical volunteers) that I talked with. I’m sure that my age was part of the response (although there were quite a few “older” folks in attendance), as well as the shock when I told them I was a minister, but I was genuinely surprised by the positive reception to my speaking to them. In addition to the support staff I enjoyed talking with the working men and women who were there as a part of their job. Many from the music industry, the press, the TV industry and photographers seemed genuinely interested when I struck up a conversation with them and it quickly moved to “what do you do for a living?” When I told them the idea that brought me to Bonnaroo to research I got universal approval - from “that’s cool” to “what a great idea” to appreciation that the Bonnaroo organizers would think of such a service.
I came to Bonnaroo expecting a hedonistic, drug fest where I would be seen as someone in direct opposition to what most of the folks in attendance had come to experience. In fact, I found a heightened sense of responsibility for the environment (recyclable cups, incentive to not use plastic water bottles, programs to encourage trash pickup, energy awareness) – most of which would put to shame our own church’s focus on the environment. I was able to sign up for the bone marrow database for free and learn about mountaintop removal by the coal industry in the name of providing energy for this country. I bought a t-shirt made of recycled Mountain Dew bottles – a very cool green color. I was able to buy food products from vendors selling organically grown items (I was able to sign up to get information on organic gardening) and was introduced to a Central American item called arepa which has become my favorite food..
Sure, I was exposed to more second hand pot smoke than I had experienced since my last Jimmy Buffet concert in the 80’s. I saw plenty of underage drinking. But my response to that and other areas of conduct outside what many of us might consider appropriate behavior is that I expect that’s what Jesus saw as he walked the dirt paths of Galilee. He was known for spending time with “sinners and tax collectors”. He was given a hard time for associating with women of questionable character. But in response to the criticism he simply replied, “The healthy don’t need a doctor – I came to be with the people in need”. If Jesus was hanging around today, I expect we’d want to look all proper and buttoned up for him. But I’m afraid he might look at is and wonder if we even needed him – we think we’re healthy don’t we? Who are we kidding? It’s easy to look at the people of Jesus’ day that he was called to serve and figure that we would be right there with Jesus in serving them. How many times do we place ourselves in the role of needing to be served by the great physician? I’m no different than the sinners and tax collectors of the 1st century or the crying, lonely, pot-smoking, drinking kids of the 21st century – we’re all in need of being saved – and that means we need a savior. I’m thankful that Otter Creek allowed me to “scope out” Bonnaroo. I’ll be sending in my report to the Bonnaroo organizers in the next few weeks and we’ll see if they decide to move ahead with the childcare service. I’ll be sure to let you know…
A particular interesting observation was from the support staff (safety, security, clean up, medical volunteers) that I talked with. I’m sure that my age was part of the response (although there were quite a few “older” folks in attendance), as well as the shock when I told them I was a minister, but I was genuinely surprised by the positive reception to my speaking to them. In addition to the support staff I enjoyed talking with the working men and women who were there as a part of their job. Many from the music industry, the press, the TV industry and photographers seemed genuinely interested when I struck up a conversation with them and it quickly moved to “what do you do for a living?” When I told them the idea that brought me to Bonnaroo to research I got universal approval - from “that’s cool” to “what a great idea” to appreciation that the Bonnaroo organizers would think of such a service.
I came to Bonnaroo expecting a hedonistic, drug fest where I would be seen as someone in direct opposition to what most of the folks in attendance had come to experience. In fact, I found a heightened sense of responsibility for the environment (recyclable cups, incentive to not use plastic water bottles, programs to encourage trash pickup, energy awareness) – most of which would put to shame our own church’s focus on the environment. I was able to sign up for the bone marrow database for free and learn about mountaintop removal by the coal industry in the name of providing energy for this country. I bought a t-shirt made of recycled Mountain Dew bottles – a very cool green color. I was able to buy food products from vendors selling organically grown items (I was able to sign up to get information on organic gardening) and was introduced to a Central American item called arepa which has become my favorite food..
Sure, I was exposed to more second hand pot smoke than I had experienced since my last Jimmy Buffet concert in the 80’s. I saw plenty of underage drinking. But my response to that and other areas of conduct outside what many of us might consider appropriate behavior is that I expect that’s what Jesus saw as he walked the dirt paths of Galilee. He was known for spending time with “sinners and tax collectors”. He was given a hard time for associating with women of questionable character. But in response to the criticism he simply replied, “The healthy don’t need a doctor – I came to be with the people in need”. If Jesus was hanging around today, I expect we’d want to look all proper and buttoned up for him. But I’m afraid he might look at is and wonder if we even needed him – we think we’re healthy don’t we? Who are we kidding? It’s easy to look at the people of Jesus’ day that he was called to serve and figure that we would be right there with Jesus in serving them. How many times do we place ourselves in the role of needing to be served by the great physician? I’m no different than the sinners and tax collectors of the 1st century or the crying, lonely, pot-smoking, drinking kids of the 21st century – we’re all in need of being saved – and that means we need a savior. I’m thankful that Otter Creek allowed me to “scope out” Bonnaroo. I’ll be sending in my report to the Bonnaroo organizers in the next few weeks and we’ll see if they decide to move ahead with the childcare service. I’ll be sure to let you know…
6.11.09
It was almost a year ago that a friend of mine led Otter Creek’s Sunday communion devotional and talked about his experience at Bonnaroo 2008. He commented that in his talks with people attending the festival he was intrigued to hear them say that the music was not the main reason they attended. What attracted them to Bonnaroo was the community – the people and the feeling of belonging. Those comments caught my attention so we had lunch a few weeks later to talk in more detail about his experiences and his observations. It was during that lunch that he planted the idea for a service project of providing childcare during evening concert times to the parents that bring their kids to Bonnaroo. He arranged for me to get in touch with the concert promoter who seemed interested in us pursuing the idea. Soon after that we had a children’s and youth ministry meeting to discuss the idea. Recognizing the complexity of such an undertaking the decision was made for me to attend the 2009 festival to do an assessment and to interview parents in attendance and put together a plan for 2010.
So yesterday my friend and I, along with another Otter Creek member, headed to the 2009 Bonnaroo festival. What follows are my observations and thoughts…
Based on feedback from a few people I’ve talked to since getting here, there are about 500 children at Bonnaroo. I’ve talked with a number of families who are camping in the “family campground” portion of the grounds. A few said they would not be interested due to security concerns – even if the people working the daycare facility had background checks. But they did say that they thought it would be a good idea, even if they didn’t use it. Others said they would definitely be interested in using the service. And there were still others that said they thought is was a good idea but never used baby sitters so they didn’t think they would use it. There’s a spot on the grounds called Kidzjam (www.kidzjam.com) that offers activities for kids and their parents during limited times of the day. They do not accept kids without their parents so the idea we are researching does not conflict with what they already have in place. In talking with the concert promoter he expressed appreciation for us coming to look into the possible service but also concern that offering the service could send the signal to parents that they were encouraged to bring their kids – and he did not want that message communicated or implied. So I’ll continue to look, listen and talk to the parents I see at the concert. It may be that Otter Creek decides not to try and make this happen. But no matter what the decision, the idea that a church would be willing to consider such an out-of-the-box way to serve people who may have little, if any, exposure to a group of people trying to incarnate Jesus, is something I’m proud to be a part of.
Now for the “other” report from Bonnaroo – the observations about the overall experience. I’ll assume you’ve never been to Bonnaroo. This year’s attendance is about 75,000 people. I would guess that the average age would be 24. Most everyone camps during the 4 days of the festival. As I walked into the camping area and scanned the landscape it felt like I was looking across a refugee camp. It is massive and expansive. The music is quite diverse (I came thinking it was all head-banger, but it’s not) and spread out over 10 different venues. The main stage is huge.
I came expecting blatant debauchery, but have not seen it. The smell of pot is always in the air, but it’s that way at concerts in Nashville. The vendor area seems to be stuck in the 60’s – lots of tie-dye/hippe items (t-shirts, hammocks, candles, etc) which is very interesting since most of the music is fairly progressive. I can’t help but imagine Jesus walking in and among the crowds. I can see him laughing and totally enjoying himself – not trying to convict or convert. Just looking for opportunities to talk with people and offer them his time to listen to their stories. So that’s what I’m trying to do… I’ll try to send some stories over the next few days.
So yesterday my friend and I, along with another Otter Creek member, headed to the 2009 Bonnaroo festival. What follows are my observations and thoughts…
Based on feedback from a few people I’ve talked to since getting here, there are about 500 children at Bonnaroo. I’ve talked with a number of families who are camping in the “family campground” portion of the grounds. A few said they would not be interested due to security concerns – even if the people working the daycare facility had background checks. But they did say that they thought it would be a good idea, even if they didn’t use it. Others said they would definitely be interested in using the service. And there were still others that said they thought is was a good idea but never used baby sitters so they didn’t think they would use it. There’s a spot on the grounds called Kidzjam (www.kidzjam.com) that offers activities for kids and their parents during limited times of the day. They do not accept kids without their parents so the idea we are researching does not conflict with what they already have in place. In talking with the concert promoter he expressed appreciation for us coming to look into the possible service but also concern that offering the service could send the signal to parents that they were encouraged to bring their kids – and he did not want that message communicated or implied. So I’ll continue to look, listen and talk to the parents I see at the concert. It may be that Otter Creek decides not to try and make this happen. But no matter what the decision, the idea that a church would be willing to consider such an out-of-the-box way to serve people who may have little, if any, exposure to a group of people trying to incarnate Jesus, is something I’m proud to be a part of.
Now for the “other” report from Bonnaroo – the observations about the overall experience. I’ll assume you’ve never been to Bonnaroo. This year’s attendance is about 75,000 people. I would guess that the average age would be 24. Most everyone camps during the 4 days of the festival. As I walked into the camping area and scanned the landscape it felt like I was looking across a refugee camp. It is massive and expansive. The music is quite diverse (I came thinking it was all head-banger, but it’s not) and spread out over 10 different venues. The main stage is huge.
I came expecting blatant debauchery, but have not seen it. The smell of pot is always in the air, but it’s that way at concerts in Nashville. The vendor area seems to be stuck in the 60’s – lots of tie-dye/hippe items (t-shirts, hammocks, candles, etc) which is very interesting since most of the music is fairly progressive. I can’t help but imagine Jesus walking in and among the crowds. I can see him laughing and totally enjoying himself – not trying to convict or convert. Just looking for opportunities to talk with people and offer them his time to listen to their stories. So that’s what I’m trying to do… I’ll try to send some stories over the next few days.
6.10.09
Today was the day that my homeless friend was to take another step on the path of getting off the street. A few days ago I had called and learned of an opening at a housing complex with rent based on income. After having been hired and getting his work schedule for the week, we knew that today was his day off so we scheduled him for a mental health assessment at a local agency. Without going into too much detail, there are significant government assistance and cost under-writing programs available to people who are diagnosed with “co-occurring conditions”. This is when there is a mental health disease (e.g. depression, bi-polar, paranoia, etc) accompanied by some type of addiction (e.g. alcohol or drug). The person can qualify regardless of whether they are active in their addiction. My friend had not had a mental health assessment so we scheduled him for an appointment at 2:30 today.
I called him to confirm and he told me that he was not going to be able to go due to his employer having just called him and told him he needed to come into work today. I responded to ask him if he told the employer that he already had important appointments scheduled for today based on the published work schedule? He responded angrily to me that he had not said that and that he had no choice but to cancel and try to reschedule his appointment since he needed his job so badly. I asked if the employer indicated he would be fired if he did not come in. He said it didn’t matter – that he had been trying to get a job for so long and now that he had one he wasn’t going to do anything to mess it up.
When I tried to talk with him about how it appeared he was being taken advantage of by his employer he became even more angry with me. I tried to explain to him that most employers will respect people with schedules and plans, but will push back to really see if someone is disciplined enough to speak their minds (I know this employer to be a good company – not one that would intentionally take advantage). None of what I said seemed to make sense to him. His voice got louder on the phone and he said that he had to have this job and would just use the money from the job to live in a hotel is that’s what it meant, but that he wasn’t about to rick
losing his job by questioning the boss. He then hung up on me!!
I found his response to my questioning him and his solution to discussing it with me very interesting. As I reflected on both, I kept asking myself how Jesus would respond to such a situation. Had I acted out of a middle class mindset in suggesting that he have a mature conversation with his employer? Was that too much to expect? It angered me that his supervisor had not asked him if he had plans for the day before insisting that he come in to work. I could see cyclical patterns of behavior and results starting to happen again. But my friend didn’t want to hear any of that – even from someone who he could trust. Did he feel that I was trying to control his life? Or even worse, trying to direct his behaviors in a way that I wanted – for my own pride of success in him as a project?
I called my friend’s phone but he did not answer. I left a message apologizing to him for saying things that angered him but also telling him how hurt I was that he had hung up on me. I told him I loved him and was only trying to provide him an insight that he might not have recognized. He did not return my call all day. Around 8:30PM I called him again. This time he answered and his conversation seemed to be his normal mode of talking. He was at work and things were OK. He made no mention of our morning disagreement. He told me he had rescheduled his appointment for next Monday and that his supervisor had told him he was going to talk with the manager about moving him to a 2nd shift supervisor!. There was no anger in his voice and he seemed appreciative of my call. I don’t know where this event will lead in our relationship or the impact it will have on him and his journey. It has affected me and reminded me that anticipating such an occurrence is something I need to be aware of and try to discuss in advance with others as we walk together.
Still not sure what Jesus would have done, but I feel like I honored my basic rule of behavior – I would want Jesus to be proud of me if he was hanging out with me today. Even if I overstepped in my initial conversation, it was done with the right intentions and then I made the follow-up call and kept trying to reconnect with him until we were finally able to talk. Actually I do think that’s what Jesus would do…
I called him to confirm and he told me that he was not going to be able to go due to his employer having just called him and told him he needed to come into work today. I responded to ask him if he told the employer that he already had important appointments scheduled for today based on the published work schedule? He responded angrily to me that he had not said that and that he had no choice but to cancel and try to reschedule his appointment since he needed his job so badly. I asked if the employer indicated he would be fired if he did not come in. He said it didn’t matter – that he had been trying to get a job for so long and now that he had one he wasn’t going to do anything to mess it up.
When I tried to talk with him about how it appeared he was being taken advantage of by his employer he became even more angry with me. I tried to explain to him that most employers will respect people with schedules and plans, but will push back to really see if someone is disciplined enough to speak their minds (I know this employer to be a good company – not one that would intentionally take advantage). None of what I said seemed to make sense to him. His voice got louder on the phone and he said that he had to have this job and would just use the money from the job to live in a hotel is that’s what it meant, but that he wasn’t about to rick
losing his job by questioning the boss. He then hung up on me!!
I found his response to my questioning him and his solution to discussing it with me very interesting. As I reflected on both, I kept asking myself how Jesus would respond to such a situation. Had I acted out of a middle class mindset in suggesting that he have a mature conversation with his employer? Was that too much to expect? It angered me that his supervisor had not asked him if he had plans for the day before insisting that he come in to work. I could see cyclical patterns of behavior and results starting to happen again. But my friend didn’t want to hear any of that – even from someone who he could trust. Did he feel that I was trying to control his life? Or even worse, trying to direct his behaviors in a way that I wanted – for my own pride of success in him as a project?
I called my friend’s phone but he did not answer. I left a message apologizing to him for saying things that angered him but also telling him how hurt I was that he had hung up on me. I told him I loved him and was only trying to provide him an insight that he might not have recognized. He did not return my call all day. Around 8:30PM I called him again. This time he answered and his conversation seemed to be his normal mode of talking. He was at work and things were OK. He made no mention of our morning disagreement. He told me he had rescheduled his appointment for next Monday and that his supervisor had told him he was going to talk with the manager about moving him to a 2nd shift supervisor!. There was no anger in his voice and he seemed appreciative of my call. I don’t know where this event will lead in our relationship or the impact it will have on him and his journey. It has affected me and reminded me that anticipating such an occurrence is something I need to be aware of and try to discuss in advance with others as we walk together.
Still not sure what Jesus would have done, but I feel like I honored my basic rule of behavior – I would want Jesus to be proud of me if he was hanging out with me today. Even if I overstepped in my initial conversation, it was done with the right intentions and then I made the follow-up call and kept trying to reconnect with him until we were finally able to talk. Actually I do think that’s what Jesus would do…
6.9.09
“Love one another” – that’s what Jesus commands us to do. At times I wish he hadn’t been so straightforward and so simple. Not much to discuss and not much opportunity to misunderstand. Now there is plenty of opportunity to rationalize. And there is plenty of reason to prioritize (whom I love, how I balance that love with practicality, what about taking care of myself?, etc.)
Got a call from Tammy’s mom (you can read a little about Tammy in some of my earlier blog entries) who lives in another city. I had seen Tammy a couple of times in the last few weeks since I helped her load up her stuff from the halfway house where she was being asked to leave because of her most recent relapse. We had dropped all her stuff (probably 6-8 large garbage bags of clothes, 3 bags of books - which I kept with me because they were so bulky and heavy, things like a hair dryer and even a microwave) at the house of someone who had told her she could keep her stuff there. I’d dropped by the house to check on Tammy and knew things weren’t going well. Once Tammy’s personal items had been unloaded at the house, the friend surprised Tammy with the news that she needed money to be able to store her things. Tammy had to sell a few of her possessions to be able to get some money to pay her friend. A few days later I dropped by with some of the excess Kroger bakery items that Otter Creek gives out to its members. She took everything I had because she had also learned that she was being required to help supply food for the others living in the house. Prior to me getting there she had been forced to trade a few more of her possessions for food.
When I stopped by today Tammy was sitting by the side of the house. As soon as I drive up she walked to my call with a look on her face that I knew meant another crisis was taking place. “Can you take me to the women’s mission?”, she asked me. I’d suggested Tammy consider staying at the mission several times but she had always refused. As we talked I learned that for the past week Tammy had been sleeping on the streets. Seems the owner of the house had come by and evicted the person Tammy had understood was the renter. Turns out her friend was not even supposed to be in the house. Unable to get in touch with me or her mother she had to take what remained of her possessions and get out of the house. “Sure, I’ll take you to the mission”, I said. I got out of the car in anticipation of needing to help load up all her stuff. She went behind the now padlocked and abandoned house (no friends to be seen anywhere) and emerged with 2 laundry baskets of clothes. That was all she had left. “All my clothes are filthy”, she said. “Would you take me to where I can wash them?” Tammy needed a meal and some rest. Heading to a Laundromat was the last thing she needed to be doing. I told her I’d take her to the mission and get her clothes washed.
So we drove to the mission where I dropped her off along with a bus pass. We agreed that she’s get up in the morning, eat breakfast at the mission and then ride the bus to the Room in the Inn campus where I would meet her at 7AM (the mission will not allow you to stay there during the day) with her clean clothes. “Can you bring my books?”, she asked. “I’ll take them to the used book store tomorrow and sell them so that I can get money for cokes and cigarettes.” I headed from the mission to Otter Creek where we have a washing machine and a dryer and got to washing Tammy’s few remaining clothes. I knew I was going to be late getting home for supper, but I’m blessed to have an understanding and generous wife. It only took 2 loads to wash everything Tammy now owns. In between loads I drove back into Nashville to meet my homeless friend who was working the late shift at his new job. Did you notice the lightning after dark? Wasn’t it an awesome sight? It was, unless you live on a bridge…. I took my friend some bus passes which Otter Creek purchases every few months to help people get around town. I didn’t want him to have to walk through the evening storms. He had arranged to stay the night with some friends who had rented a room even though that meant sleeping on the floor of their hotel room. Dropped off his bus passes and made plans to pick him up tomorrow afternoon so he can come to our church’s family picnic. Headed back to move the 2nd load form the washer to the dryer and then head home.
“Love one another”. I’m blessed to be a part of a family where we’re trying cut through all the rationalizing and prioritizing of that simple command and just live it out…
Got a call from Tammy’s mom (you can read a little about Tammy in some of my earlier blog entries) who lives in another city. I had seen Tammy a couple of times in the last few weeks since I helped her load up her stuff from the halfway house where she was being asked to leave because of her most recent relapse. We had dropped all her stuff (probably 6-8 large garbage bags of clothes, 3 bags of books - which I kept with me because they were so bulky and heavy, things like a hair dryer and even a microwave) at the house of someone who had told her she could keep her stuff there. I’d dropped by the house to check on Tammy and knew things weren’t going well. Once Tammy’s personal items had been unloaded at the house, the friend surprised Tammy with the news that she needed money to be able to store her things. Tammy had to sell a few of her possessions to be able to get some money to pay her friend. A few days later I dropped by with some of the excess Kroger bakery items that Otter Creek gives out to its members. She took everything I had because she had also learned that she was being required to help supply food for the others living in the house. Prior to me getting there she had been forced to trade a few more of her possessions for food.
When I stopped by today Tammy was sitting by the side of the house. As soon as I drive up she walked to my call with a look on her face that I knew meant another crisis was taking place. “Can you take me to the women’s mission?”, she asked me. I’d suggested Tammy consider staying at the mission several times but she had always refused. As we talked I learned that for the past week Tammy had been sleeping on the streets. Seems the owner of the house had come by and evicted the person Tammy had understood was the renter. Turns out her friend was not even supposed to be in the house. Unable to get in touch with me or her mother she had to take what remained of her possessions and get out of the house. “Sure, I’ll take you to the mission”, I said. I got out of the car in anticipation of needing to help load up all her stuff. She went behind the now padlocked and abandoned house (no friends to be seen anywhere) and emerged with 2 laundry baskets of clothes. That was all she had left. “All my clothes are filthy”, she said. “Would you take me to where I can wash them?” Tammy needed a meal and some rest. Heading to a Laundromat was the last thing she needed to be doing. I told her I’d take her to the mission and get her clothes washed.
So we drove to the mission where I dropped her off along with a bus pass. We agreed that she’s get up in the morning, eat breakfast at the mission and then ride the bus to the Room in the Inn campus where I would meet her at 7AM (the mission will not allow you to stay there during the day) with her clean clothes. “Can you bring my books?”, she asked. “I’ll take them to the used book store tomorrow and sell them so that I can get money for cokes and cigarettes.” I headed from the mission to Otter Creek where we have a washing machine and a dryer and got to washing Tammy’s few remaining clothes. I knew I was going to be late getting home for supper, but I’m blessed to have an understanding and generous wife. It only took 2 loads to wash everything Tammy now owns. In between loads I drove back into Nashville to meet my homeless friend who was working the late shift at his new job. Did you notice the lightning after dark? Wasn’t it an awesome sight? It was, unless you live on a bridge…. I took my friend some bus passes which Otter Creek purchases every few months to help people get around town. I didn’t want him to have to walk through the evening storms. He had arranged to stay the night with some friends who had rented a room even though that meant sleeping on the floor of their hotel room. Dropped off his bus passes and made plans to pick him up tomorrow afternoon so he can come to our church’s family picnic. Headed back to move the 2nd load form the washer to the dryer and then head home.
“Love one another”. I’m blessed to be a part of a family where we’re trying cut through all the rationalizing and prioritizing of that simple command and just live it out…
6.8.09
I spent the late afternoon with a newly hired representative of the Metro Nashville government who’s role is to raise awareness and funds to address homelessness. We first met a few weeks ago at a meeting where several government and private agencies had come together to discuss Tent City and the June 1 closing date. It was decide to extend the closing date for a few more months due to the admission that there is just not enough available housing in our area. The consensus around the quantity of units always “digresses” to the contention that a lack of resources is the primary cause of the problem. Having heard this numerous times I finally spoke up and commented that I did not agree with that contention. “What would you do if you suddenly came upon $5 million or $25 million dollars?” I asked. Everyone smiled, breathed heavily nodded with some indication that all the problems would be solved. “I think we’d get mired down in debates on what to do with the money”. My belief is that the root problem is that we have no master plan that all parties agree can agree on. Other than the mayor’s 10 year plan to eliminate homelessness, we can’t even agree on an ultimate end goal – and that end goal of eliminating homelessness, while sounding laudable, is unrealistic. Tell me another city the size of Nashville that has achieved that goal. I contend that the primary problem with addressing homelessness is that we don’t have a plan that the city and the business community and the faith community and the citizens can get behind. I believe that if we can get that, then funding it with the necessary resources will occur. I see us failing to create a plan on the excuse that such a plan would be so expensive that it could never be funded. Yet we’ve never put a plan together!! After the meeting I was introduced to the person who had just been hired by the city to be the primary fundraiser. We agreed to meet and spend some time together so this afternoon was our first time to meet.
We met at our church office where I showed her our baby clothes warehouse. We walked through our photo exhibit of Tent City and talked about our plans for a reception for the Tent City residents intended to raise awareness of them as real people. I introduced her to my homeless friend who was at the church building washing his clothes and checking his email. We then headed out to one of our local hospitals where my homeless friend had to pick up his prescriptions. From there all 3 of us went to the Campus for the Odyssey dinner. I wanted her to see the Campus and learn about the Odyssey program. We arrived a little late and missed getting to eat – I thought that was very appropriate - that our homeless friends get to have a full belly and we get to miss a meal. After the dinner we headed to the Otter Creek furniture storage house where we met 4 women from a halfway house who needed a bunk bed, a dresser and a washing machine for a mom that was getting custody of her teenage son. She helped us load that up and saw all the donations that we collect. She got to hear about the theology and practicality of that ministry.
From there we headed back to our church where we loaded up the back end of my Explorer with cakes, pastries and bread from our Kroger donation. My homeless friend and I will take it to Tent City, to a number of homeless women living on the street on Murfreesboro Rd. and to the residents of the Drake Motel (a low cost hotel that many homeless people occasionally (especially at the first of the month) frequent to get a shower and a good night’s sleep). She wasn’t able to make the food deliveries, but got a glimpse of a community in action. The goal of our time together was to emphasize the point that I was trying to make in the initial meeting – the resources are available – especially through the combined power of our local churches – IF we can create a plan that is credible and engages people to do more than just write a check. I’m blessed to see that every day through the member of the Otter Creek family. And I’m confident that Otter Creek is not unique in that way. Is it possible that a partnership can be formed between the public and private in a way that seeks to use the gifts and talents of both for the good of all? I think that’s what we call “Kingdom business”, and I’m looking forward to Otter Creek being a part of that…
We met at our church office where I showed her our baby clothes warehouse. We walked through our photo exhibit of Tent City and talked about our plans for a reception for the Tent City residents intended to raise awareness of them as real people. I introduced her to my homeless friend who was at the church building washing his clothes and checking his email. We then headed out to one of our local hospitals where my homeless friend had to pick up his prescriptions. From there all 3 of us went to the Campus for the Odyssey dinner. I wanted her to see the Campus and learn about the Odyssey program. We arrived a little late and missed getting to eat – I thought that was very appropriate - that our homeless friends get to have a full belly and we get to miss a meal. After the dinner we headed to the Otter Creek furniture storage house where we met 4 women from a halfway house who needed a bunk bed, a dresser and a washing machine for a mom that was getting custody of her teenage son. She helped us load that up and saw all the donations that we collect. She got to hear about the theology and practicality of that ministry.
From there we headed back to our church where we loaded up the back end of my Explorer with cakes, pastries and bread from our Kroger donation. My homeless friend and I will take it to Tent City, to a number of homeless women living on the street on Murfreesboro Rd. and to the residents of the Drake Motel (a low cost hotel that many homeless people occasionally (especially at the first of the month) frequent to get a shower and a good night’s sleep). She wasn’t able to make the food deliveries, but got a glimpse of a community in action. The goal of our time together was to emphasize the point that I was trying to make in the initial meeting – the resources are available – especially through the combined power of our local churches – IF we can create a plan that is credible and engages people to do more than just write a check. I’m blessed to see that every day through the member of the Otter Creek family. And I’m confident that Otter Creek is not unique in that way. Is it possible that a partnership can be formed between the public and private in a way that seeks to use the gifts and talents of both for the good of all? I think that’s what we call “Kingdom business”, and I’m looking forward to Otter Creek being a part of that…
6.6.09
The Otter Creek furniture ministry continues to be one of the key components of our ability to step into people’s lives in a way that opens the door for the opportunity to build relationships. After all, if someone is sleeping on the floor or has no sofa to sit on and we show up with our trailer to deliver this to them, we tend to have the chance to plop down on the sofa after we put it in place and initiate a chat with the people. In most instances our showing up with furniture is not the first time we’ve met. I try to make it a requirement that I visit the person making the request in their home prior to showing up with furniture. Many times this initial visit shows the need for much more than just a bed or a sofa.
But with every delivery of furniture to a needy person there has been a donation from someone and a pick up at their house of the furniture. Sure, it may seem like the evangelistic thing to do to show up at some person’s apartment with a piece of furniture, but this blog entry is intended to highlight the Otter Creeker’s and their friends who decide to offer their excess or cast-offs to our furniture ministry. In addition to thanking all those people, I have a special place in my heart for the men, women and their children who make the sacrifice to come along with me to pick up the donations. There’s not much evangelistic reward for this activity. You do get to meet some interesting people, and you certainly get to know that what you are picking up will eventually be a blessing to a person in need. But on the late evenings when you miss dinner in order to make that last pick up and then have to deliver it to our store house, one has to really keep the big picture in mind.
That’s what took place this afternoon. A relatively new member from Otter Creek and his 15 yr. old son helped pick up donations from 4 different locations. They had been at the ball field all morning and were hot and tired when they showed up. But they jumped right in with me to head out in the Otter Creek van with the Otter Creek trailer in tow. The chance to spend a couple of hours talking about Otter’s outreach ministry and the vision for being a family in a way that most people (and many of us) never experienced is time that I really appreciate. I’ve yet to not see someone’s eyes light up and their imagination start to churn as we talk about the different lives that have already been touched. It’s almost become a tradition that I spend 4 or 5 hours each Saturday picking up furniture. It’s one of those “seed-planting” investments of time (i.e. without planting the seeds and doing all the prep work, there’s little chance of a harvest). If you want to spend a Saturday with me, drop me an email and get ready for a workout and for a blessing!!
But with every delivery of furniture to a needy person there has been a donation from someone and a pick up at their house of the furniture. Sure, it may seem like the evangelistic thing to do to show up at some person’s apartment with a piece of furniture, but this blog entry is intended to highlight the Otter Creeker’s and their friends who decide to offer their excess or cast-offs to our furniture ministry. In addition to thanking all those people, I have a special place in my heart for the men, women and their children who make the sacrifice to come along with me to pick up the donations. There’s not much evangelistic reward for this activity. You do get to meet some interesting people, and you certainly get to know that what you are picking up will eventually be a blessing to a person in need. But on the late evenings when you miss dinner in order to make that last pick up and then have to deliver it to our store house, one has to really keep the big picture in mind.
That’s what took place this afternoon. A relatively new member from Otter Creek and his 15 yr. old son helped pick up donations from 4 different locations. They had been at the ball field all morning and were hot and tired when they showed up. But they jumped right in with me to head out in the Otter Creek van with the Otter Creek trailer in tow. The chance to spend a couple of hours talking about Otter’s outreach ministry and the vision for being a family in a way that most people (and many of us) never experienced is time that I really appreciate. I’ve yet to not see someone’s eyes light up and their imagination start to churn as we talk about the different lives that have already been touched. It’s almost become a tradition that I spend 4 or 5 hours each Saturday picking up furniture. It’s one of those “seed-planting” investments of time (i.e. without planting the seeds and doing all the prep work, there’s little chance of a harvest). If you want to spend a Saturday with me, drop me an email and get ready for a workout and for a blessing!!
6.3.09
Great news.. My homeless friend that lives on the bridge in downtown Nashville has been hired!! He starts work tomorrow. After passing the background check and following up each day for the past week, he called and was told to show up tomorrow at 4PM for the evening shift. I wish I could tell you all that has been done to partner with him to help make this possible – access to computer, ability to wash clothes, rides to follow-up on job leads, a cell phone to be able to be contacted by potential employers, bus passes. And now that he has been hired, we’re heading to Wal-Mart to buy khaki pants and a black collared shirt. That, and so much more, have all come through the generous support of Otter Creek members. But probably even more important than that were the continual words of encouragement and the feeling of being accepted my friend experienced every time he visited the building or met a member on the street. He has told me on numerous occasions how touched he is that people seem to go out of their way to say hello to him and ask him how he’s doing. Having the opportunity to experience family and a level of unconditional acceptance and love is a gift that many have never felt. We’re blessed to have a community here at Otter Creek that offers that.
In my last blog I mentioned about taking the furniture to the young lady that had recently gotten out of prison. I got a call today from a friend of her’s who is moving in next door to her. Guess what she was interested in? Furniture. And guess who told her about this group of people who are willing to come to your house, help where they can and offer to be a friend? The woman we delivered the furniture to just this past week. Almost sounds biblical where someone experiences the love of Jesus and then tells someone else so that they can have the opportunity. It worked back then and I think it still works today..
In my last blog I mentioned about taking the furniture to the young lady that had recently gotten out of prison. I got a call today from a friend of her’s who is moving in next door to her. Guess what she was interested in? Furniture. And guess who told her about this group of people who are willing to come to your house, help where they can and offer to be a friend? The woman we delivered the furniture to just this past week. Almost sounds biblical where someone experiences the love of Jesus and then tells someone else so that they can have the opportunity. It worked back then and I think it still works today..
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