Uffizi Mission Project

“You have to do more than just serve food – you have to become an advocate for the poor.”  Those were the, shall we say, “confronting” words of someone I didn’t know the first time we did a meal sharing at Pershing Park.  I didn’t know if I was talking with a crazy person or a prophet of God…

It seems perhaps that the prophet wins.

The door has opened now for me to go on the radio and talk about the top ten myths about homelessness.  Last week I was supposed to share for 10 minutes and it ended up going 30 minutes.  God seems to be serious about helping the poor in our city – far more serious than I was at the outset.  I have not been on radio since college days, but I am really enjoying my time with Nick, both on the radio and walking the streets together every Thurday.

You can follow our journey on Facebook by joining Nick and Jeff’s summer of love, or you can listen in on the radio occasionally, times to be announced.  (The Nick and Paul Show, 1490am 3pm Monday-Friday)

Now with a serious economic crash and CA budget cuts, a grass root awakening is necessary.  If institutions are making cuts, it will be up to aware and compassionate individuals and communities to band together and act like that silly Good Samaritan.

One of my recent meditations has been on the creation of us – humans… were we created to be consumers.  I think we have all been born in the warming pot of water called consumerism.  It happens slowly and naturally as we grow up with television and shopping malls.  We just naturally fall into it – buying items that represent our favorite sport teams, putting on personalized license plates, having the choice of 100 deoderants…

I am glad to say that there seems to be a pendulum swing toward become “givers.”  I see it in many of you, my friends.

Someone contacts me on facebook and tells me that she wants to write a check to get someone in detox – I get a call from a supporter desiring to to do that as well.  I put out an email that we need more food for Pershing Park this week, and I get new friends who will bring Thai food.  The trend is changing…

I like what I read in one of Rob Bell’s books, that God believes in us.  For all the talk that we need to trust in God, it is good to know that God thinks we can do it.  The rabbi that calls the follower believes in his or her disciple.  So, it means that God gives us the keys and says “Now you drive.”  Don’t wait for your calling, because come on, you know what you need to do.

Conversion is not so bad a word if we begin with ourselves.  Changing from one thing to another is a beautiful way to live.

Embrace the coming reformation.  We are becoming advocates for the less fortunate in our neighborhoods and cities.  That is a good thing, because we are becoming like Jesus.  People have all kinds of opinions about who Jesus was, but here is something to consider.  His job title according to Isaiah was:

He sent me to preach good news to the poor, 
   heal the heartbroken,
Announce freedom to all captives, 
   pardon all prisoners.
God sent me to announce the year of his grace

There is a line in Secret World by Peter Gabriel about everything “being in a state of disrepair.”  I think that this is what I am experienced as I do mission in our city.  I see the lives that have been destroyed or are in some state of self-destruction.  This is because humanity has fallen out of sync with the desires of God – and even in argument over what those things may be.

But it has been a part of my journey to discover that God is very interested in how we actually live on earth, and not just making travel plans to heaven.  Don’t get me wrong, eternal life with Christ is a reality.  But that event seems quite out of my control, while I do have a say with what I do with my time and finances.

NOW is what matters to God.  The scriptures are clear that what makes our God most dear is that He is involved in history – stories of Moses and his staff; or His timely set up with Esther; or Jesus coming and saying “that NOW is the time fulfilled, re-orient your lives toward the Kingdom of God.”

Yesterday gone, Tomorrow not yet, NOW.

More of us need to embrace the NOW MISSION.  The opportunity is ripe and the need is huge.  I heard someone mention that “we don’t do things because of the need.”  I quite disagree – because the incarnation was because of our need.  Our need is the same – and Christ followers are equipped to go and be with people again, in the middle of the quite horrendous mess.

My friends are falling out of their wheel chairs on the streets of Santa Barbara addicted or mentally afflicted, hungry for love and affection and long term friends.  Some of them are kicking habits looking for communities who embrace them even with their nasty relapses.  If they have violent tendencies I have seen them tamed by this unique presence of God in a loving environment.  They are losing housing because they are not wise with finances.

I get word that there is a kid on the streets today, who wants to kick the habit but needs 300 bucks for rehab. I heard of this group of young men and women out there, called the “throw aways.”  A unique group of kids out there because their parents don’t want them.  <will I meet them – I hope so!>

There are no throw aways. 

NOW URGENT.  URGENT NOW.

But certainly we have pulled up from our big soft pillow because we have heard the alarm.  But we have to take a hammer to the snooze button.  I sense the slumbering giant is awakening.  I am having more meetings with friends who want to join in with the gifts they have.  Many came forward to help with the West Side kids camp, and with kids club.  Money was raised to help friends get off the streets – and many prayers are sweeping through the local streets.

Tomorrow a team of us will go downtown, to the East and West Side, to discover the needs and pray for our friends.  

Our state of disrepair is healed by the love of God and the real historic compassion of men and women.

After polling my friends and doing some online research, here are ten myths about homelessness.  We will begin to tackle these myths on the Nick and Paul show (3-4pm weekdays on 1490am) occasionally.  I will let everyone know when we discuss these myths.  Here they are:

Top Ten Myths About Homelessness

1.    Homeless people are homeless by choice.

2.   Homeless people are lazy and they should just get a job.

3.   Most homeless people are single men.

4.   Most homeless people are addicted to alcohol and drugs and are mentally ill.

5.   Homeless people are dangerous.

6.   There are enough local services for the homeless – they don’t need our help.

7.   Homeless people just “need God.”

8.   Homeless are uneducated and unemployable.

9.   Homeless people are a fixed population and usually stay that way for a long period of time.

     10. Youth are homeless because they think it is cool and exciting

            and they want to live that way.

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