Setting Prisoners Free

We all need each other!  We all need one another!  We just can't do it on our own!  The longer I work with people experiencing homelessness, the more I realize this truth! It's complex! It takes a community effort! It takes various people, with a variety of skills, networking and collaborating together! One person, one agency, one church or one ministry cannot conquer the daunting reality of homelessness on their own; we all need one another!  Over the years, I've seen many of the countless needs, differences and hurdles people experiencing homelessness face, making it virtually impossible for them to "pull themselves up by their own bootstraps." I've also witnessed how successfully going from "homeless-to-housed" often only sees results when people, agencies and ministries unite together with a common mission. I've also been part of watching all the various parts come together, just like a complex jigsaw puzzle, with the end result ...

It happened 2 days in a row! 2 different guys. 2 friends! They were both in their mid 40's. They came to see me separately. Privately! They were ashamed and didn't want anyone to see all the pain they were going through. Both these guys had lived rough lives and were homeless at the time! They told me tales of their rampant drug and alcohol abuse, violence, robberies, gang-banging, sexual craziness, homelessness and how they rotated in and out of jail and prison. As they reflected on everything they'd done, both of them started crying uncontrollably! This was strange for me to see, as I had always envisioned them as too proud to cry, but on these 2 days, they couldn't hold back the tears! They were crying, because they were convinced that God was mad at them, and therefore, had given up on them. They were both convinced that they couldn't be forgiven and God was sending them on the fast track to hell. They felt that all hope was lost! Now, similar to what ...