Setting Prisoners Free

He beat his chest! He bugged out his eyes! He howled into the sky, and yelled as loud as he could “I’m crazy, crazzzzzyyyy! I’m the craziest man in Uptown!” He would follow that by laughing hysterically, with one of the loudest and most distinctive laughs you’d ever hear. He had a laugh that would turn heads on a whole city block. It wasn't something you could ignore, it would either cause terror or amusement to everyone in earshot.  Then, all of a sudden he'd stop! He’d stop beating his chest. He’d stop laughing. He'd stop yelling. His whole demeanor would dramatically change. His gigantic smile disappeared behind a hard, angry and penetrating glare. He’d barely blink and stare straight into my eyes and say, “I may be crazy, but don’t ever call me stupid. I ain’t stupid!”  After making his point he’d switch back to smiling and being his usual loud, hyped up emotional self.  I’ve heard and seen Shaun do a variety of his “I’m crazy, not stupid” routine many times!

There's one thing I love about working in a homeless shelter; it's seeing and helping people overcome obstacles! I have the honor of seeing this happen every day. Even with all the odds stacked against them, I love to see people continue to keep on fighting and not give up! I love to see people not be defeated by whatever weaknesses and obstacles stand in the way! Despite all odds stacked against them, I love to see my homeless friends move into housing. I love to see the unemployed get jobs. I love to see those struggling with addiction taking steps to reduce the harm they're doing to themselves and others. I love to see those who've been rotating in and out of jail for years, work on things and stop the cycle. I love to see those burdened with mental illnesses and physical limitations not give in to despair, keep on fighting and find a way to keep moving forward. Despite all odds stacked against them, I love to see people turn around what should be heart-wrenchin

I don't like to disappoint people. I don't like to make people upset.  I want to give people what they want when they want it and how they want it!  To be honest with you, I want to please those around me, so  when I can't do that, it troubles me! It worries me! I've gone to bed too many times with a heavy heart, knowing I've disappointed someone. I've lost sleep too many times, with someone "living rent-free in my head!" To those who have this struggle, I'm with you! I understand. As long as I can remember,  I've battled with being a "people pleaser". It's not easy. I hate to say "no", even when the answer is blatantly obvious. Because I feel so weak in this area, it's something I've often had to pray about and seek God's grace about.  As my life has become busier and I've been given more responsibilities, I've had to face this. I can't just push it under the rug anymore. As much

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

When I first came to Chicago, questions like this one (see below) challenged me and took on a new meaning for me. I was challenged in brand new ways. I was challenged again to view the world through, not my own self-centered lens, but through God's lens. I was challenged to put aside my natural instincts, what I feel more comfortable with and to live a life following Jesus and His ways. Coming from New Zealand, these kind of questions had challenged me before, but in moving over here, to Uptown Chicago, my circumstances changed. This meant I now had to cope with different problems and issues; new challenges and situations surfaced, and they rocked my faith in new ways!  When I head off to work every day, these new circumstances cause me to ask myself questions and pray for answers; "How should I respond when someone plays me for a fool? How should I react when someone cusses me out? What should I do when someone threatens a friend? What should I do when som

I have always struggled with anxiety. I am an anxious person! I worry a lot! Let me give you a little history about myself. As long as I can remember, anxiety, worry and fear have been a part of my life. As a kid, I was that nervous shy kid that seemed afraid of everything. I'd go "red as a beetroot" whenever someone would talk to me. Anxiety crippled me in many ways. I wouldn't talk in public, I was afraid to talk on the phone, school and church were incredibly hard and I'd often feel afraid in whatever circumstance I'd find myself. My anxiety and worry was so crippling, that as a result, I missed out on doing a lot of things I wanted to do.  I was brought up in a Christian family, I went to Sunday School every week and I also attended a lot of church camps as a youngster. One of the requirements was, we had to learn bible verses, and one of very first ones I ever memorized was about "not being anxious", it's Philippians

I want to tell you about 2 friends; they run in different circles and have nothing to do with each other, but my heart aches for both of them!  For decades, one of them has struggled with heroin and popping pills , while the other has struggled to stay out of the Joint for very long. Even though they run in very different circles, and one of them is a lot more violent than the other, they are united in the same struggle . They struggle to stay on the narrow path. They struggle to stand firm in their faith.   I know both these guys, I know they were both trying. They were staying on the path, trusting God and making the right decisions. The first guy had been resisting the needle and other narcotics for a short while, while the second guy had stayed out of prison for about 4 or 5 years; which for him was a major accomplishment. They were both telling me how excited they were about their progress! They were both thankful to God and would constantly talk to me about