Moving around the corner. 

This last week I got to be with my Long Beach people two times, Thursday and Friday.  Love that.  On Thursday, I took the message of “In Jesus Christ…yes!” to a large, restless crowd.  Crazy Bonnie came waltzing up, wanting to interject things, but the folks shut her right down.  A young Hispanic woman in the back yelled, ‘sit down, I want to hear,’ which only got Bonnie going even more.  As small as she is, she is always filled with spunk (speed actually) and ready to take down anyone who challenges her.  So she was ready to ‘go’ with the other gal… Reggie and someone else had to help Bonnie find her way to the door, and I continued. 

These things don’t faze me—no two days are ever the same with the basement crew of street people.  The question was raised about whether or not one can lose his salvation, and that sparked some lively discussion.  Though theologians have battled on that topic for centuries, we settled the matter with ‘we cannot lose our salvation, but why would anyone risk that?’  How could you know the love of God, and the peace that passes understanding, and then reject it?  We serve a God that does respect our choices though—for him or against him; he doesn’t force himself on us. 

Several prayed and said ‘yes’ to Jesus Christ, and then the room broke out in applause.  Whether it was the first time, like it was for a handsome young man up front, or a recommitment for my questioning friend, Paul, there was spontaneous excitement when we closed that prayer.  The applause was echoed in Heaven, too; Jesus himself talked about the rejoicing in Heaven when a sinner repents—Luke 15.7.

A peculiar thing happened on Thursday that was to greatly affect my weekly Friday prayer meetings at the Friends Church.  I had a meeting with the senior fellow there at the church to ‘address some concerns’.  I’ll spare you the details of the meeting, but the ‘concerns’ he was addressing really were singular—me.  It took 45 minutes of doublespeak before he came to the point that he questioned the true commitment of someone who drove into town once a week for two hours, and then drove home.  There were several other things said, but he telegraphed loud and clear that I was really causing him problems.  I looked at him and said, ‘To be clear, all I have done is bring Spirit-filled prayer with biblical lessons, and carloads of clothes.’ (Oh, yeah, and I’ve grown to know and love the Duke of Earl, Popeye, Bonnie, Victor, Bernard, Jackie, Hydro…..)  He would not come out and say, ‘don’t come back’—actually, that might have been better; instead, he just danced all around it.  As the picture became clear, I swallowed the lump in my throat, and said, “I think I understand what is going on now--I do not feel welcome, and will pray about what goes on from here.”  When I went to my car, I felt something that I haven’t felt too many times in my life, especially when it comes to ministry—rejection, and honestly, I was stunned by it.

I could not dwell on it too long because I had another meeting right after it, with a gentleman from the Village.  I’ve discussed my visits to the Village, a mental health agency that does so much for the lost, recovering, and disenfranchised of Long Beach.  I have been so drawn there because of their work, and its success rate, and also how I feel when I am there.  Actually, my friend, Bernard, (the general surgeon from Cameroon, who speaks five languages, trained at the Vatican, and has one very keen mind), after being on the streets for 10 years, just went into one of the Village’s apartments.  Hallelujah!  Praise God from whom all blessings flow.  Weelllll. . . Bernard told me of a building the Village operates called the Sanctuary, and that it would be the perfect place to bring prayer.  And would you believe it?  The Village threw the doors of the Sanctuary wide open to me to hold a weekly prayer meeting, scheduling me through the calendar year!  The timing was undeniable—one door closed, and another door opened.  The Sanctuary is just steps away from the Friends Church; it is all quite amazing.

We recently talked about how God speaks to us—besides the still, small voice, Scripture, other believers, he leads us by opening and closing doors.    I am reminded of Isaiah’s words, ‘Whether you turn to the right or to the left, you will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘this is the way—walk in it’’. 

And so, on Friday I led my final prayer meeting at the Friends Church.  After teaching on “Joy!” and praying for jobs and places to live, I announced I would be starting a new gig on Tuesdays, just moving around the corner to the Sanctuary.  Open and closed doors . . . when we are seeking God, he leads the way, and though we can’t see up ahead or around the corner, he can.  So, ‘whether you turn to the right or to the left, you will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘this is the way—walk in it.’

Christine