This past Monday, I was determined to start my week off right - up and at 'em early and time spent with God.
I felt a little twinge of guilt as I checked Facebook real quick - but alas, God was ready to meet me even there.
The first post I came across that morning was from that of a friend of mine from high school. And after reading what he posted, that was all I needed to read that morning. And I was ready to get up and face the day in praise!
Below is that post.
Read and be blessed. :)
~
I have been living in Dallas Texas for the last 5 months. During this time I have been fortunate enough to witness the blessings of my Creator, not only through His impact on my life, but through the faithfulness and obedience of some truly spectacular young men. (Yes I am officially old enough to say that)
Four months ago I was called to head to downtown Dallas and feed the homeless. I had never done anything like this before and had no idea where to go. I went to Home Depot and bought a small gas grill, then headed to Kroger and bought hotdogs and all the fixings. I Googled homeless shelters in the area and decided where I was going to make my triumphant debut to save the less fortunate, or at least give them a hotdog. When I arrived at my destination I was disappointed to see that there were no homeless in sight. I sat in my truck and wondered what I was doing there. I had already spent this money and it appeared that it may have all been in vain. As I sat there and began to grow more and more discouraged it finally dawned on me. I had been obedient to God's call by getting up and moving, but had decided not to take him on the journey with me. You see, once I has succumbed to the initial urge I took off without asking God about step two, the execution of His plan. When I finally stopped and asked for guidance God took me on a journey that would change my life forever.
When I left the first location, I drove for about 5 minutes while praying that God would guide me to the location of His choosing. After a few turns I drove down a street that was packed with people in need. I found two parking spaces on a side road and setup my makeshift kitchen there. As I fired up the grill and began to organize the food, a few people started to form a line in anticipation of the delicious hotdogs that were about to be served. While the hotdogs were cooking, I was asked if I had any cold water. I am in downtown Dallas Texas, in the middle of the summer, preparing hotdogs on a day when the temperature exceeded 100 degrees and I didn't bring any cold water! How could anyone be so stupid!? Within 60 seconds of the first request for cold water a man and women pulled up and asked if they could park next to me. I had no idea what they were there for but told them to feel free. When they exited their SUV the man opened the back and pulled out two coolers full of cold water. I WAS STUNNED! I asked him how often they came down and he told me it was their first time! That fast God had answered a need that I didn't plan for, with people who had never done this before and were guided to my exact location! That my friends was a humbling and exciting moment in my life.
Shortly after I started handing out hotdogs, I began to feel like it wasn't enough. The people were very appreciative of my efforts but I couldn't shake the feeling that I should have prepared more. At that exact moment a convoy of vehicles pulled up and a man named Jeff Polk stepped out with his army of God's servants. The location that God had guided me to turned out to be an area where Jeff's team served at regularly. On this day they happened to be serving chili. I'll say it again, they were serving chili! Who doesn't love a chili dog? Jeff came over to me and asked if I would be interested in teaming up with them for the day to provide a real treat for the people waiting in line. I responded with a YES! What a mighty God we serve!
As things began to wind down for the day Jeff introduced me to a friend of his named Sven Nickerson. It turned out that both of these young men had founded organizations with the explicit purpose of taking Christ's love to the streets. God had dropped me right in the middle of a movement lead by some very faithful and obedient young men who have gotten in on the ground floor of something spectacular. I knew right then that these were some true Kingdom Men!
Over the last few months I have witnessed Jeff Polk, Sven Nickerson, Chris Rogers, Taurayon Henderson and a host of others, take the words of the Bible and apply them in a way that impacts not only their community, but the people serving along with them. I have watched these men take money from their own pockets and purchase food for the homeless, when the donations ran out, just so no one went away without a meal. I have seen them take shoe strings out of their personal shoes so that someone could lace their sneakers up. I have seen these men put their arms around people who have not showered in weeks just to let them know they are loved. I have participated in prayers with these men that have meant more to me on any given day than these fellas will ever know. I have seen Christ in these men.
I have told you all of this because I want you to know that these men are the real thing. They are not doing this for the recognition, they are not doing this to make a name for themselves and they are not doing this to become rich in this world. They are doing this because they know that it is their destiny to show the world Christ's love.
Please pray for these men and their organizations. While you are praying please ask God if you should support these men with financial contributions to their cause. It's not often that I can confidently say your offerings will be used to advance God's Kingdom, but I can assure you these guys are legit. Below are the Facebook pages for their ministries. Please look through their posts and message them if you feel compelled to help. I am truly going to miss these guys when I head back to Louisville this week, but they have inspired me to carry this movement home. I can't wait to see what God has planned for us all!
Faithwalkers Charities
Rest Eazy feeding the homeless
God bless!
(courtesy of Chris Caldwell)
Thanks so much for sharing your story, Chris!
Can't wait to see how He continues to move through you, brother!
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