Setting Prisoners Free

A few years ago, there was this fragile older man who used to sit on the corner right next to my house. Everyone called him Frenchie! I'd known him for years; he had stayed at Cornerstone before, the homeless shelter I'm involved with. He was sweet, humble and shy. Frenchie could easily be described as a "petite" man, and everyone seemed to like him, but he had no money and no one to care for him, so day after day, he sat cross-legged on the sidewalk smoking his cigarettes. Frenchie wouldn't beg for money, he was too shy for that and didn't want to bother anyone! He would just sit there, greeting and smiling at the people who'd walk on by. Random people would stop and give him things he may need, like some spare change, a sandwich or an item of clothing, but in general, he just sat there, day after day after day.  Occasionally, I'd stop my commute and ask him if he was homeless and if he needed a place to stay, he'd always ...

Every Christmas season, I have the honor of watching kids at the shelter rip open their gifts with a ton of excitement. I love watching the parents too. They obviously don't want their children to be living in a homeless shelter, but as soon as they're given a bag full of presents for their kids, their eyes light up and an immense burden is lifted! They realize that their Christmas just transformed from all these feelings of embarrassment and dread into something spectacular! Over the years, I've heard many parents say that their Christmas at CCO was their best ever! There's something else that never gets old; at our men's Christmas party, I love watching grown men, (many who have struggled with addictions, frequent incarcerations, are gang members and have been "on the trail" for a long time), shed tears of happiness, simply because they've been remembered, given a good meal and a little something for Christmas. For days afterward, these fellas k...

A few decades ago, some followers of Jesus saw the desperate need in their neighborhood and wanted to live out His basic command to "love your neighbors as yourself". This group was a young community of Christians, called Jesus People USA, who lived in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood and were surrounded by a lot of poverty and people experiencing homelessness. The members of JPUSA couldn't ignore the plight that surrounded them and Jesus' radical parable of the "Sheep and the Goats", so they opened their doors and their hearts, by providing meals to eat, food bags to take with them, clothes to wear, blankets to keep them warm and beds to sleep in. About 40 years later, there's been many changes, but our mission remains the same; we are still trying to bring Kingdom Love into our Uptown neighborhood. This grass-roots ministry has transformed from our humble beginnings into now running a large homeless shelter, called Cornerstone Commun...

A couple decades ago, I had a job driving taxis and one of my biggest struggles was having to wait. I'm not talking about waiting for customers, I'm talking about wanting things to happen, but I had to wait! I was in an "in-between" stage in my life; I had just finished Bible College and wanted to get into ministry, but I had no money and no doors had opened for me at that point. I had to wait! I had to be patient.  This wasn't an easy time, in fact, it was one of the darkest times of my life. I saw and experienced a lot of pain and heartache. During this time, I was often threatened, bullied, robbed and was even a victim of aggravated battery a couple of times. Looking back, the hardest part of driving a taxi wasn't when I was stuffed in the trunk of my car or beaten by a bunch of young gangbangers; that was terrifying, but it wasn't the hardest. The hardest part about that time was how I felt so alone, things weren't working out the way I wanted...

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 ...

We are quickly approaching another Chitown winter..... A little less than a year ago, we struggled through another harsh and brutal Chicago winter, and through it, I was (once again) reminded how "life and death" rests in my feeble and incapable hands. This season is difficult, I always feel inept, as the needs are constantly there and are often life threatening. This daunting reality is very real and the weight is extremely heavy.... As I write this, I have a few friends who weigh heavily on my heart and in my mind. I know of 4 men who lost toes last winter, due to frostbite! I know plenty of others who got frostbitten; they had blackened skin and were on the brink of losing digits, but were thankfully rescued before it got too bad and deep. I want to highlight one of these guys: He was homeless, sleeping in the parks and under the viaducts of both Uptown and Edgewater. He told me about one frigidly cold November night; he was sleeping on a park bench and som...

I work in a place that gives people experiencing homelessness chances to step up and take the opportunities we have to offer. Whether it's employment, housing, sobriety or volunteering, I find it a privilege and an honor! I love being able to offer people these opportunities. I also love watching people grab the "bull by the horns" and go with it. I love seeing God transform someone who's been in prison, someone who's addicted, gang-banging or whatever their vice may be, and watch them change and move forward. I love watching people grab the opportunities and sober up, find housing and get jobs!  I love seeing all that, but unfortunately, there's something that often goes with it! Something I hate! Something that drives me crazy. Too often there are people, (or as the person asking question puts it), there are snakes in the grass spreading rumors, gossiping and trying to bring these people down. Unfortunately, it's so...