Setting Prisoners Free

People often ask me what an average day looks like to me, and to be honest, I always struggle to answer that question. Most days are different! Any hope for routine and structure vanishes quickly almost every day. My chaotic job requires me to always be "on my toes" and be ready to respond with the love of Jesus to whatever or whoever comes my way. Despite any lack of normalcy, I actually like the chaos, I like the variety! Today (Wednesday) built onto an already crazy-filled eclectic week. It was nonstop busy, but great things happened and lives were touched. It was a blessing to have lived it; it was a blessing to see God working. It was also a blessing to see how networking and collaborating together with other people truly helps others successfully move forward.  The day before, I'd ventured out to find certain people and tell them about appointments they all had. This outreach effort paid off! Even though it was raining this morning, they all came except on...

We live in a world full of computers, smart phones and countless signs that beckon our approval and need our attention every minute of every day..... Imagine living in that world, but not being able to read or comprehend what you need to know. Imagine not being able to read or comprehend instructions, texts or emails. Imagine not being able to read or comprehend job applications, housing contracts or the countless forms we need to fill out to help us move forward. There are many people experiencing homelessness who are highly educated, freakishly intelligent, or just have a good ability in being able to read and comprehend whatever is before them. Yet there's another side, a large number of individuals suffer with a crippling reality in today's world; they just can't read, write or comprehend what they see before them!  By noticing this debilitating disability, I am often weighed down by the shame and agony people feel. I have to assist people read and fill o...

It's pretty simple and logical:  If we don't network and collaborate, successful movement quickly becomes stagnant.  If we don't work with others, positive movement and progress won't happen! If we don't come together, those who need protection and encouragement will continue to be victims of people's self-centered motives! We ALL need each other!  We ALL bring different gifts and talents! We ALL have resources and assets we can bring to the table! TOGETHER; good things happen when people unite together and fight for a common cause! I know most of the people who live in Uptown's Tent Cities. I know them well! I know their drama, their struggles, their addictions, their backgrounds and their failures. I also know their faith, their hopes, their dreams, their successes and how they continually fight to overcome and conquer whatever obstacles stand in the way.  Just as I needed people to get to where I am today, so does everyone else! Just ...

Many years ago, I was a taxi-driver. I worked the graveyard shift. It wasn't easy. It quickly became one of the most difficult times of my life.  I would drive cabs 6 days a week and up to 14 hours a day. What got me wasn't the long hours, it was more about trying to follow Jesus and live the way He wanted me to live, while being surrounded by people who were basically saying "forget that! Have fun! Eat, drink and be merry!" It filled me with jealousy and made me depressed. It seemed, every night, all I saw or heard were things contrary to how I was trying to live. It seemed that every person who entered my cab loved what they were doing and would shove it down my throat. It seemed that everyone who entered my cab was doing what they were born or destined to do! They had their money, had a free night and they were going to make the most of it! My evenings normally started with people sitting in my cab and endlessly rambling on about how they were about...