Journal Entries Archive

Join us from 1PM to 4PM on Saturday March 13 as we hit the streets of downtown Dallas with clothes, food, personal care items, and the gospel! We will meet at our storage building behind Northwest Bible Church ( 8505 Douglas Ave. Dallas, TX 75225 ). From there we will gather our distribution supplies and caravan downtown to serve in a few street locations.  We will complete the day with a time of extended prayer with the homeless. We will be praying for the city, the homeless, the ministry, and for God to continue to be glorified in everything that we do. We need your arms to serve!

• Do I need to bring anything? We can always use new tshirts. Bring a package (or more) in your size (or larger).
• What if it rains? If it rains, you might get wet. Dress accordingly.
• Can my friends come? Yes. Invite your friends and your family. We need hands to serve!
• Can my kids come? Yes. You should always keep your kids close in every public setting. Bring your kids, watch your kids and serve with your kids!
• What if I can’t make it? Check our volunteer schedule for the next opportunity to serve.

Last Saturday we had over 100 volunteers who joined with one purpose – to share the love of Christ with homeless men and women on the streets of Dallas.

Click the pic to see the detail. Try to count the number of people serving people.

We distributed bags with socks, t-shirts, snacks, combs, vitamins, water bottles, and gospel tracts. We had bins of various clothes that included pants, sweaters, shirts and other items. We also gave out cases of Bibles in both English and Spanish.

Will you pray for a stranger?

Every day thousands of homeless men and women walk the streets of Dallas. Often they are ignored or looked down upon. How would you feel if everyone you looked at quickly looked away as if to avoid eye contact?

Our volunteers were challenged to engage people, look into their eyes and shake their hands. They were not afraid to give a hug and spend time asking someone “How can I pray for you?” We bring these items as a ministry to meet physical needs in order to gain an opportunity to engage their emotional and spiritual needs.

It was a beautiful sight. Groups were talking together, laughing together, praying together and crying together. This is what the Body of Christ is supposed to look like every day.

To our volunteers: Thank you so much for your commitment to give your time to serve people in need. You can never underestimate the power of showing the love of Christ.

To our donors: Thank you so much for your commitment to give your resources to serve people in need. Your gifts were used to provide needed physical resources that become a bridge to the gospel.

Volunteers: 100+
Homeless men and women served: 700+
Eternal Perspective:

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ Matthew 25:34-40 NLT

We don’t do this to earn anything from Jesus. We do this because this is what He did.

Special thanks to the students at Dallas Theological Seminary and the Disciple Now group from Hampton Road Baptist Church.

I often get asked for money. I often get asked about – getting asked for money.
What should we do?

Before I begin, we are surrounded by poor people. People have real needs and many people still eat out of trash cans and out of despair some are left with no choice – but to ask for your help.

When you see someone asking for money, there are usually two needs going on.  The guy asking has a serious need. His sign may say “Homeless vet” or “will work for food” or maybe “beer money”. That guy has a serious need. His need may not be clearly communicated on his cardboard sign, but he does have needs.

You have needs. You were created in the image of God and therefore you have compassion – and want to help. But you also want to know that a gift be used for the intended purpose. Will the money buy food or alcohol, medicine or drugs?

I suggest a different option. In my car I carry non-perishable food. I have packages of cereal bars, cheese crackers, McDonald’s gift certificates and Bibles. I would love the opportunity to sit with someone in need – rather than passing something through my car window. Sometimes I don’t get the option, so I ask for the person’s name and then I tell them that I will be praying for them. “Is there anything in particular that I can pray for you about?” This is a great primer for someone to know that you care. “I don’t have any money that I can give you, but I do have some food – are you hungry?”.

Sometimes I am told by the guy with the sign that reads “Hungry” – “I don’t want food – I need money”. That’s usually a good sign that his needs are deeper than his sign and he is dealing with issues that can’t be resolved by passing something through a window. If I can, I will pull over and try to spend some time with him.

If you are approached by a panhandler, I suggest these alternative options:

• Don’t ignore them. They are people and no one wants to be ignored. Acknowledge that you hear them, engage them, and tell them what you can – and can’t do.
• Don’t lie. If you have money that you don’t want to give someone, then tell them. “I don’t have any money that I can give you”. Don’t lie about the contents of your pocket in order to stop the conversation.
• Try to meet the need. If they are hungry, offer to buy them a meal or give them something that you have with you. You can buy yourself another lunch – give them yours.
• Ask how you can specifically pray for them.  Everyone needs prayer. Be courageous and bold. If they ask you to pray specifically for them – then do it! Don’t be afraid to build a relationship with someone who might look a little different than you.

If you want to give money to help the problem, I suggest you donate to a non profit who exists to meet their needs. They are usually better equipped to meet their real needs and engage them in developing their lives.

Human needs fall into three basic categories. Spiritual, Emotional and Physical. There are many groups who do a great job to meet physical needs. Our goal is to address the unmet needs. We focus on the spiritual and emotional needs of the community. Do we feed people? Yes. Do we clothe people? Yes. Do we give blankets and other physical items to address obvious physical needs? Definitely – Yes. But we do this – in order to meet spiritual and emotional needs. Our calling is to glorify God by leading homeless people to Christ and stabilizing broken lives as they begin God honoring lifestyles. What is your calling?

Update (1/11/10) Last Saturday I was under a bridge distributing resources when I met a woman named Rhonda. She is homeless and has been addicted to Crack for over 20 years. She was very honest. I asked her about panhandling and She told me “Don’t ever give me money. Don’t even give me one dollar. I promise you I will smoke it up. I am not only an addict, I am a dope fiend. I have sold my clothes, my body and told any story for the next rock of Crack. Please don’t give me money.”

Please think about Rhonda the next time someone tells you a great story of why they need money. Consider buying them food, filling their car with gas, or working with an organization that can meet their needs. We aren’t trying to deny anyone who needs help. We are trying to stop the cycle of enablement, one dollar at a time. Our mission is to lead them to Christ and to stabilize their lives. If it takes food, assistance with filling a prescription or a bus ticket to bring stability – then by all means lets meet those needs together.

Today was cold. It was in the low twenties and many people camped outside.

Why? Because they have the latest REI camping gear and seek to battle the elements? No.
Today thousands in Dallas will camp outside in clothes they have scavenged, cardboard they have stacked, and eat someone else’s leftovers. The reality of homelessness bites when the temperature drops like this. Some will face the cold as they have for years, for many this is a new reality that comes with the economy.

Today I took a group of students from Dallas Theological Seminary on a field trip. We went to a particular  location and found about thirty individuals. They were eager to see us and warmly greeted us with cold hands.

We had blankets, socks, gloves and bottles of water. It wasn’t much, but it was greatly received. One man told us “You brought us exactly what we needed”.  More than just meeting physical needs we also took time to pray with them. We invited them to our next outreach which will include many more resources and much more time for fellowship and interaction.

As we left there I reminded those students “This is why you came to seminary. This is why God placed you here on this rock. This is why you have been given the gift of faith. Use it wisely.”

Jesus repeated the phrase “love one another” many times. That isn’t a suggestion, nor is he telling us to do the impossible. It begins with the simple step of just showing up.

Friday night we showed the movie Amazing Grace at the Bridge. It was a great time of entertainment, fellowship, and ministry.
The movie tells the story of William Wilberforce who fought to abolish slavery in England. It also tells the story of John Newton, who wrote the words to the song Amazing Grace. John is a monk who is haunted by his past as a slave ship owner. He “once was blind” to his sins and “now can see” the destruction his sins have caused. He recorded his story to be used in the legal battle against slave trade.

After the movie we heard the testimony of Phill, who was once homeless himself. He was addicted to Crack, and has come to live a new life in Christ. After Phill spoke, I shared the gospel of Christ and then prayed for our time and closed the evening by leading the room of homeless men and women in the song Amazing Grace. It was a beautiful sound. I wish you could have heard them.

Afterward we passed out gift bags to almost 275 people, and left about 75 for the staff to give to anyone who came in late.
Please pray for the homeless. For many, the holidays are a reminder of families that they have lost and emotional pain that won’t stop hurting.

Volunteers loading the bags

Volunteers packing the gift bags

Watching the movie at the shelter