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A week ago I had arthroscopic knee surgery to repair a torn cartilage and meniscus as well as clean up arthritis and remove a small cyst. It was done as outpatient surgery by one of the top orthopedic surgeons in Nashville. I’m blessed to have health insurance and even though it’s a high deductible policy we have the resources to cover the cost and insurance pays for the rest. I was dismissed with a special cold water ice wrap on my knee and enough prescription drugs to make a street junkie go bonkers. I rested the afternoon of my surgery and was back at work the next day. I intentionally did not make a big deal out of my situation – not because I didn’t want the sympathy or the praise from people who just couldn’t believe I was back at work the day after surgery – but because I have experienced a form of relativism in the past year that help me put everything in better perspective.
I’d love to have you meet my friend Joe (not his real name). I first met Joe when he was fresh off the street and enrolled in the Odyssey program at the Campus for Human Development. There was something about Joe that drew the two of us together and over teaching in the Odyssey program the next few years we became pretty good friends. Joe struggled with his addictions and his mental illnesses. He relapsed a few times and ultimately was dismissed from the Odyssey program. He ended up in and out of jail but we always stayed in touch. I’d pick him up and buy him a cup of coffee of take him to get a pair of shoes. Joe wasn’t able to get a job and lived off friends and the few dollars he could panhandle. The pounding from the years on the street started to take their toll and Joe started having hip problems. There were times he could barely walk. He’d go the free clinic and they’d give him something for it but nothing worked. He lived in constant pain with both hips.
Finally he had to go the emergency room where they decided his hips were bad enough that they would replace them. They scheduled him for surgery about 90 days out in the future and released him to hobble the streets until time for surgery. I’d see Joe sleeping under a bridge with a cane or a walker trying to survive until time for his surgery. Finally the day for total hip replacement came and Joe checked into the hospital to learn that they would only do one of his hips at a time. He would have to recover before they’d do the other one. He had surgery and stayed in the hospital a few days. He was released to the Campus where they took care of him for a few days and then he was back on the street. Less than a week after hip replacement surgery he was sleeping under a bridge still with a cane to support his other hip.
I talked to Joe today who asked me how I was doing. I didn’t even tell him I’d had knee surgery. He’s the one we need to be asking how he’s doing. There’s something wrong with a system where Joe can’t have a bed to sleep in – at least while he’s nursing a hip replacement. I don’t deny there’s plenty of blame to go around, but I really don’t care. Joe is on the streets tonight waiting for another 30 days for his second hip replacement. Am I OK? You bet…I’m blessed thanks to Joe to have a perspective on my surgery that lets me know it’s all relative. Keep Joe in your prayers…
4.24.10
Yesterday was the Music City Marathon in Nashville. 35,000 people in town along with thunder, lightning and torrential rain. I started getting calls from folks in Tent City the night before looking for additional tarps and flashlights. About mid-morning I got a call from a middle aged woman who used to live in Tent City but got into a rehab program over a year ago and who now has her own apartment and job. She called from Tent City. Seems she had gotten lonely and decided to visit her friends at Tent City where she relapsed and had spent the last week on a drinking binge. She called to ask if I would come get her and take her home. She said she knew she had really messed up but was hoping I wouldn’t be too mad to come get her. That’s what being broken is all about – knowing when you have messed up, confessing the mistakes and then starting over. I drove to Tent City in the pouring rain, wrapped a warm blanket around her and took her home. There will be plenty of time for talking with her about what happened, the triggers and how to try and not make the same mistake again, but for yesterday it was just time to be thankful that she called and give her a ride home.
Later that day I grabbed some fresh “D” batteries and a couple of clean, dry sleeping bags that have been donated by the folks at Otter Creek and headed back to Tent City to distribute to people who were trying to stay dry and warm in the tents. The wind was unbelievable under the bridges and folks were desperately trying to keep their possessions dry but not having a lot of success. Even though it was 60 degrees it was wet and folks were cold. I handed out blankets and some towels as well.
Finally I had the chance to visit with an older woman who had called Otter Creek last week looking for help with her rent. As we talked I learned she had been living in a hotel for over 3 years. I sat up a time to visit her for yesterday. As we talked I learned she had lost her job in December and now her unemployment was running out so she was calling churches to get help. She had almost no community and no one willing to help her. We talked about how she was (or was not) helping herself by trying to find a job. Honestly it didn’t sound like she was trying too hard. She had no police record, a high school degree, her id and a car. Even in today’s economy a person should be able to get some kind of job with those factors to your advantage. I showed her how to create a work history so she could be more effective in filling out applications and I pointer her towards several career centers. But in the end I told her that I just didn’t feel like Otter Creek could help pay her rent right now. She needed to show some greater initiative and give us a chance to get to know her better. I gave her $20 in a gas card to help her get to a few job sites, prayed with her and said good-bye. It will be interesting to see if she follows up on the next steps we agreed to take. I left thankful for the resources given by Otter Creek to help people in need and aware that with those resources comes responsibility to be wise and kind. I pray I lived up to that challenge…
Later that day I grabbed some fresh “D” batteries and a couple of clean, dry sleeping bags that have been donated by the folks at Otter Creek and headed back to Tent City to distribute to people who were trying to stay dry and warm in the tents. The wind was unbelievable under the bridges and folks were desperately trying to keep their possessions dry but not having a lot of success. Even though it was 60 degrees it was wet and folks were cold. I handed out blankets and some towels as well.
Finally I had the chance to visit with an older woman who had called Otter Creek last week looking for help with her rent. As we talked I learned she had been living in a hotel for over 3 years. I sat up a time to visit her for yesterday. As we talked I learned she had lost her job in December and now her unemployment was running out so she was calling churches to get help. She had almost no community and no one willing to help her. We talked about how she was (or was not) helping herself by trying to find a job. Honestly it didn’t sound like she was trying too hard. She had no police record, a high school degree, her id and a car. Even in today’s economy a person should be able to get some kind of job with those factors to your advantage. I showed her how to create a work history so she could be more effective in filling out applications and I pointer her towards several career centers. But in the end I told her that I just didn’t feel like Otter Creek could help pay her rent right now. She needed to show some greater initiative and give us a chance to get to know her better. I gave her $20 in a gas card to help her get to a few job sites, prayed with her and said good-bye. It will be interesting to see if she follows up on the next steps we agreed to take. I left thankful for the resources given by Otter Creek to help people in need and aware that with those resources comes responsibility to be wise and kind. I pray I lived up to that challenge…
4.15.10
I was finally able to make it to Tent City for the AA meeting. As we gathered in the room and before we actually began the meeting we were discussing whether or not to start the Inner City meeting as a formal meeting. We looked up the zip code and found out there is no meeting held within the Inner City zip code. So it was decided to set it up and begin getting the word out about the meeting.
There are now over 100 people staying in Tent City. Lots of reasons why but most have to do with the ending of Room in the Inn and that Metro PD are making a concerted effort to close down all other encampments in the central precinct and are encouraging people to move to Tent City – quite the change from just a few months ago when the police were advocating a cap on the number of residents. Ultimately the new model for Tent City is going to be a structured environment where people wanting to get back on their feet are welcome. Those just wanting a place to stay so they can get drunk or high are not going to be able to stay at Tent City. But with the increased number of people comes the “problems” that must be addressed. First is the need for tents, sleeping bags and air mattresses.
But with a limited budget it’s important that we use volunteers and resources not commonly thought of as ties to the need. So starting today I’m asking everyone reading this blog to check with your church community and see if they would be willing to Put on a campaign to collect tents. Every size and shape would be welcome. If you are able to collect tents and need to have them picked then email me and we’ll come get them. People coming to Tent City need a place to sleep. Tents are expensive. And yet there are hundreds of tents available to donate.
Let’s get the word out and let’s make plans to collect at least 100 tents.
There are now over 100 people staying in Tent City. Lots of reasons why but most have to do with the ending of Room in the Inn and that Metro PD are making a concerted effort to close down all other encampments in the central precinct and are encouraging people to move to Tent City – quite the change from just a few months ago when the police were advocating a cap on the number of residents. Ultimately the new model for Tent City is going to be a structured environment where people wanting to get back on their feet are welcome. Those just wanting a place to stay so they can get drunk or high are not going to be able to stay at Tent City. But with the increased number of people comes the “problems” that must be addressed. First is the need for tents, sleeping bags and air mattresses.
But with a limited budget it’s important that we use volunteers and resources not commonly thought of as ties to the need. So starting today I’m asking everyone reading this blog to check with your church community and see if they would be willing to Put on a campaign to collect tents. Every size and shape would be welcome. If you are able to collect tents and need to have them picked then email me and we’ll come get them. People coming to Tent City need a place to sleep. Tents are expensive. And yet there are hundreds of tents available to donate.
Let’s get the word out and let’s make plans to collect at least 100 tents.
4.11.10
After services today I headed to Tent City to meet a couple that has now saved enough money to get housing. They were ready to make plans to move out this week. This is what Tent City is intended to be – a place for folks to be able to start over and then get back on the journey. They have worked on their budgets and their needs and are ready to go. They’ve thought about which person at Tent City would benefit the most form being able to move into their tent/structure and have made arrangements to make that transition. Since making the decision to move they are totally different people – they now have hope!!! And the source of that hope comes as a direct result of them making money selling The Contributor paper. These folks are focused and see the income from selling papers as their way out of Tent City. They don’t plan for selling newspapers to be their job forever, but it is the assistance they needed. Like most of the folks at Tent City, they aren’t looking for a handout except to get them by in an emergency. They are looking for partnerships and relationships to help them where our systems work to keep them pushed down. And thanks to the folks that are buying The Contributor it’s working.
I also had the chance to meet another Otter Creek couple who wanted to see Tent City and use their gifts to help. These folks have a talent to shoot video footage. So when one of the Tent City residents came to me last week and said he’s like to come to Otter Creek to tell the members thank you for all that they’ve done to help Tent City my first thought was to not only give him the chance to speak but to get his thoughts on video as well. So I met the Otter Creek couple and introduced them to Vegas. It was an awesome time to hear him share his heart. But it was equally awesome to see this couple have their eyes opened to the people and the stories of Tent City. Nothing is as simple as we think it is when we only look at the surface. Through taking the time to ask questions and film his responses this couple was blessed to get to see a little deeper into the humanity of Tent City. Hopefully in the next few weeks I’ll be able to post the edited footage to this blog so you can experience it for yourself. In the meantime I just want to thank the folks at Otter Creek who have give their time, money, energy and hearts to helping make a difference in the lives of the people at Tent City. After hearing Vegas today it’s evident that it is recognized and appreciated. As I drove off this evening I couldn’t help but feel like Jesus would be pleased with the work going on.
I also had the chance to meet another Otter Creek couple who wanted to see Tent City and use their gifts to help. These folks have a talent to shoot video footage. So when one of the Tent City residents came to me last week and said he’s like to come to Otter Creek to tell the members thank you for all that they’ve done to help Tent City my first thought was to not only give him the chance to speak but to get his thoughts on video as well. So I met the Otter Creek couple and introduced them to Vegas. It was an awesome time to hear him share his heart. But it was equally awesome to see this couple have their eyes opened to the people and the stories of Tent City. Nothing is as simple as we think it is when we only look at the surface. Through taking the time to ask questions and film his responses this couple was blessed to get to see a little deeper into the humanity of Tent City. Hopefully in the next few weeks I’ll be able to post the edited footage to this blog so you can experience it for yourself. In the meantime I just want to thank the folks at Otter Creek who have give their time, money, energy and hearts to helping make a difference in the lives of the people at Tent City. After hearing Vegas today it’s evident that it is recognized and appreciated. As I drove off this evening I couldn’t help but feel like Jesus would be pleased with the work going on.
4.8.10
Over the past several months I’ve gotten calls from different people telling me about women and her child that they encountered at a grocery store or convenience market who needed help. The women appeared to be in late 40’s or early 50’s and the child was pre-teen. But what made the situation so touching and concerning was that the child had Down syndrome. It was obvious they were either homeless and/or experiencing pretty severe poverty. I would get a call from the store manager or from the person trying to help asking me for advice or recommendations. There have been several times I asked them to see if they could keep the lady occupied with a cup of coffee while I tried to get to her. I even asked the folks to give the woman my name and number and on one occasion I got a message from her asking for help but not telling me where she was. So she knew my name but we had never met – until today…
I got a call from one of the best outreach workers in Nashville to say she had lady in her office with a child who had Down syndrome. She called to say she’d like me to come over rand see if we could figure out how to help. I headed to her office and finally met the mom and her daughter. We talked for a while and could tell she was very nervous about trusting us. I felt we were pushing her a little too hard to allow us to help so we backed off and just asked if we could provide her and her daughter a hotel room for the week. Eventually she agree. We talked about her need for food and offered to take her to Kroger where she could buy what she wanted and warm it in her room on the microwave. That her off about not wanting a hotel room with a microwave because of the smell.
We headed to a hotel that we have used before. I didn’t know for sure but I thought that they had some rooms with microwaves and some without. When we got there we found out that all the rooms had microwaves and she started to leave. We calmed her down and she agreed to try another hotel provided that it had outside room entrances and she could be on the first floor. Finally we found a hotel that met all her expectations. As I drove from the check-in desk around to her room I looked in my mirror and expected to see her following me in her car. But what I saw touched my heart. The mom and her daughter had left their car in the front of the building and she was carrying her daughter on her back in the parking lot and literally running to the room to meet us. Maybe I was imagining but I could see joy and love in that mom’s face that was beyond anything I’d recently experienced. It felt like we had broken through with her and she was beginning to trust us…
Where this goes with this family only God knows. She seems to have quite a few needs – bother personally and for her daughter. We’ll start on those tomorrow. For the rest of the day we told her she could just enjoy the room and relax. She deserves it. Be praying that she will continue to trust us and let us walk with her. I’m sure God will be teaching us as we try to be his hands and feet with this family.
I got a call from one of the best outreach workers in Nashville to say she had lady in her office with a child who had Down syndrome. She called to say she’d like me to come over rand see if we could figure out how to help. I headed to her office and finally met the mom and her daughter. We talked for a while and could tell she was very nervous about trusting us. I felt we were pushing her a little too hard to allow us to help so we backed off and just asked if we could provide her and her daughter a hotel room for the week. Eventually she agree. We talked about her need for food and offered to take her to Kroger where she could buy what she wanted and warm it in her room on the microwave. That her off about not wanting a hotel room with a microwave because of the smell.
We headed to a hotel that we have used before. I didn’t know for sure but I thought that they had some rooms with microwaves and some without. When we got there we found out that all the rooms had microwaves and she started to leave. We calmed her down and she agreed to try another hotel provided that it had outside room entrances and she could be on the first floor. Finally we found a hotel that met all her expectations. As I drove from the check-in desk around to her room I looked in my mirror and expected to see her following me in her car. But what I saw touched my heart. The mom and her daughter had left their car in the front of the building and she was carrying her daughter on her back in the parking lot and literally running to the room to meet us. Maybe I was imagining but I could see joy and love in that mom’s face that was beyond anything I’d recently experienced. It felt like we had broken through with her and she was beginning to trust us…
Where this goes with this family only God knows. She seems to have quite a few needs – bother personally and for her daughter. We’ll start on those tomorrow. For the rest of the day we told her she could just enjoy the room and relax. She deserves it. Be praying that she will continue to trust us and let us walk with her. I’m sure God will be teaching us as we try to be his hands and feet with this family.
Resurrection Day/ Easter Sunday – I ran across a quote from one of my favorite modern philosophers, Pete Rollins, that I used at the end of services today after we listened to Josh talk to us about the hope that the resurrection introduced to us – a paradigm shift even more dramatic than the parting of the Red Sea when the Israelites thought all hope was gone because they couldn’t imagine a way out, more mind-expanding than manna from heaven when the same group of people that had walked through the Red Sea began to question again how God was ever going to get them out the mess that Moses had led them into. So on that first Easter morning Jesus’ followers got to experience something that still gives us hope – they were witnesses to “life after life after death”. That’s what we live for – not a set of angel wings, a harp and a home in the clouds, but a life like we see in Jesus as he walked among his followers offering peace and encouragement – in other words, the fulfillment of the kingdom. It was in that context that the following quote has power:
“Without equivocation or hesitation I fully and completely admit that I deny the resurrection of Christ. This is something that anyone who knows me well could tell you, and I am not afraid to say it publicly, no matter what some people may think...
I deny the resurrection of Christ every time I do not serve at the feet of the oppressed, each day that I turn my back on the poor; I deny the resurrection of Christ when I close my ears to the cries of the downtrodden and lend my support to an unjust and corrupt system.
However there are moments when I affirm the resurrection, few and far between as they are. I affirm it when I stand up for those who are forced to live on their knees, when I speak for those who have had their tongues torn out, when I cry for those who have no more tears left to shed."
- Peter Rollins
Let’s be about the business of affirming the resurrection today and tomorrow not by just our confession of belief but by our actions and our words…
“Without equivocation or hesitation I fully and completely admit that I deny the resurrection of Christ. This is something that anyone who knows me well could tell you, and I am not afraid to say it publicly, no matter what some people may think...
I deny the resurrection of Christ every time I do not serve at the feet of the oppressed, each day that I turn my back on the poor; I deny the resurrection of Christ when I close my ears to the cries of the downtrodden and lend my support to an unjust and corrupt system.
However there are moments when I affirm the resurrection, few and far between as they are. I affirm it when I stand up for those who are forced to live on their knees, when I speak for those who have had their tongues torn out, when I cry for those who have no more tears left to shed."
- Peter Rollins
Let’s be about the business of affirming the resurrection today and tomorrow not by just our confession of belief but by our actions and our words…
4.3.10
Holy Week on the Streets – starting at 10PM Thursday until 4:30PM Saturday I walked with 2 different groups of folks as we lived together on the streets of Nashville trying – in some small way – to identify with and put ourselves along with the homeless community. We took no money and only our ID in a backpack. We had to find where our next meal would come from as well as where we would sleep, use the bathroom and stay out of the weather. We intentionally looked for the spirituality in where we were and what our actions pointed us towards (something that most of our homeless brothers and sister don’t have the luxury to do). If you look back on my blogs to this time last year you’ll see this is the second year for Holy Week on the Streets. Many of the observations from last year are still applicable to this year. Only last year I stayed out for 24 hours. This year the additional day provided a few different insights that I wanted to share…
I confess I am a workaholic. Spending 48 hours on the street is serious rehab for me. We spend time with folks who’s days are spent with just a few things (if any) to do. The time to walk between locations, the time to wait in line, all conspire to create a slow pace that is more than I can imagine. Having a day or two with the leisure to be able to be hospitable to folks that just show up is teaching me a new way to think and live. I am convicted that there are elements of that pace of life that are more in line with the life of Jesus than what I’m living. I don’t remember Jesus ever saying he was too busy. In fact I remember him being at ease with interruptions to his schedule. He seemed to embrace those times and be able to focus on those as easily as he could the original plans he had made. Yet he never lost sight of the original plan. I’m too busy. I know it can’t change all at once, but over the next several months I want to continue to craft a life and a schedule that will allow me the time to enjoy interruptions and see the holy moments they usher in.
We are creatures of habit even more than we realize. Both groups that I was with for 24 hours struggled to stay focused and engaged for the 24 hours due to the reduced amount of sleep and the poor sleeping conditions. In both cases we got 5 hours or so of light sleep. We slept on the front steps of McKendrie UMC (thank you McKendrie for removing your “no trespassing” warrant and allowing folks to sleep on your property). But as we neared the 20 hour mark on our day on the streets both groups showed signs of fatigue due to a change of sleep schedules. I doubt many homeless folks get more hours of sleep or much better sleep that our groups. Yet we expect them to be able to move from appointment to appointment and be alert so that they can “get a job and get back on their feet”. Our group was literally falling asleep as we sat and talked about the day. Why should we expect anything more from our homeless brothers and sisters. But I then remembered that we serve a God that neither sleeps nor slumbers (Ps 121:4). That’s who I want on my side…
I confess I am a workaholic. Spending 48 hours on the street is serious rehab for me. We spend time with folks who’s days are spent with just a few things (if any) to do. The time to walk between locations, the time to wait in line, all conspire to create a slow pace that is more than I can imagine. Having a day or two with the leisure to be able to be hospitable to folks that just show up is teaching me a new way to think and live. I am convicted that there are elements of that pace of life that are more in line with the life of Jesus than what I’m living. I don’t remember Jesus ever saying he was too busy. In fact I remember him being at ease with interruptions to his schedule. He seemed to embrace those times and be able to focus on those as easily as he could the original plans he had made. Yet he never lost sight of the original plan. I’m too busy. I know it can’t change all at once, but over the next several months I want to continue to craft a life and a schedule that will allow me the time to enjoy interruptions and see the holy moments they usher in.
We are creatures of habit even more than we realize. Both groups that I was with for 24 hours struggled to stay focused and engaged for the 24 hours due to the reduced amount of sleep and the poor sleeping conditions. In both cases we got 5 hours or so of light sleep. We slept on the front steps of McKendrie UMC (thank you McKendrie for removing your “no trespassing” warrant and allowing folks to sleep on your property). But as we neared the 20 hour mark on our day on the streets both groups showed signs of fatigue due to a change of sleep schedules. I doubt many homeless folks get more hours of sleep or much better sleep that our groups. Yet we expect them to be able to move from appointment to appointment and be alert so that they can “get a job and get back on their feet”. Our group was literally falling asleep as we sat and talked about the day. Why should we expect anything more from our homeless brothers and sisters. But I then remembered that we serve a God that neither sleeps nor slumbers (Ps 121:4). That’s who I want on my side…
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