The Power of God...

This weekend was incredible. I am changed as a result, and I hope the change lasts forever.

My weekend was spent in Ybor Heights. You may be familiar with the area. If not, you've probably driven past it on the way to Busch Gardens or something. When you're traveling north on 275, just after you pass the I-4 overpass, look to your right. See those houses? Off of Nebraska, MLK, Floribraska? That's where we were.

Part of the weekend was spent in small groups. In each group, there was a leader from the Underground Church, and a homeless or ex-homeless mentor. They were our guides through the city, and were there to tell us what it's really like to live on the streets. Our mentor/guide, Danny, was absolutely amazing. He used to work for gangsters in New York in the organized crime scene. His boss was John Gotti's nephew. Somehow, he came into hard times, and found himself homeless, on drugs, and struggling to survive. A few years ago, he came to Florida and got hooked in with a church who reached out to the homeless... and the rest was history. He says he used to chase after diamond rings, $40,000 cars, and girls... and now he chases after Jesus, and he's never been happier. Every person we passed on the street, he smiled and said hello, and reminded them that they were loved by Jesus.

Part of our tour through the city involved prayer. Sometimes we would stop and talk to people that were on the street, or hanging around on the front porch of their homes. Everyone was so welcoming and eager to talk to us. We asked if they needed prayer for anything, and they would explain situations in their life. We'd pray with them, and just try to express that God cared so much about them. It was really awesome meeting people that way.

I was really impacted by the homeless mentors, however. They were so eager to share their lives with us. Most of them are now Christians, and the hope and joy they expressed was simply astounding. Brian explained it this way. They had seen the bottom, they had seen despair, and they had been saved by Jesus. After that, what is there to fear? Danny, for instance. He told us that there were two separate times he flatlined after a drug OD and was brought back to life in the hospital. He also stole from the gangsters he worked for... not a smart idea if you value your life. He said again and again that logically, he should not be alive. But God saved him, and he owes his very life to him. Eddie, Mike, Charlie, Lloyd, April, Indio, and the people whose names I did not catch-- you have impacted me so much. You have broken down barriers and stereotypes that even I had about the homeless. You have shown me your individuality and your personalities, and taken away much of the fear and nervousness I had about talking to homeless people. I will be forever grateful for how you have changed me.

We felt the power of God so strongly all weekend. Brian's talks were fueled by the raw power and passion of God's heart. There was so much emotion in him as he talked about the children he has met over the years who are stuck in absolute poverty. He was on the verge of crying multiple times, and I've never seen him get like that. But the stories of Rafi in the Philippines, Geraldine in Haiti, Rafael and the street kids in Rio de Janiero, and Telandro, who lived (and tragically died) right here in Ybor Heights, illustrated so clearly the tragedy of poverty, the sin of the Western nations as they ignore it, and the anger of God over this injustice to his beloved children. I can't even express how convicted I felt.

The very heart of Jesus Christ is with the poor and the broken. Luke 18 illustrated this. There are four small stories; read it if you aren't familiar with them. The persistent widow was rich in spirit but poor materially, and the parable indicated that God hears the cries of people like this. The tax collector was rich materially but poor in his broken spirit, and God accepted his humility. The little children were poor in every way possible, and Jesus accepted them and showed that they were especially valued by God. But the rich young ruler... the one who wanted to follow Jesus, and even gave the "right" answers when his knowledge was tested... couldn't bring himself to give up his possessions. He was spiritually rich with a wealth of knowledge of God, and he was obviously materially rich... and it was THIS PERSON of the four who was denied by God! Our God is a God of the poor and broken, and this was made so, so clear to me by the Holy Spirit himself this weekend. I can't even express it.

This weekend re-ignited the passion in my heart for God, and the hope that is found in Jesus alone. Only through him can this broken world be transformed. And if we ignore it's brokenness, we ignore the very things that break God's heart. How, then, does this show that we "love" him??

I don't know exactly how this weekend has changed the course of my life. But I feel that it has. On Sunday, after it was all over, the USF kids ate lunch at Jeremy's house. It was really crowded, but eventually everyone trickled out except for me, Ryan, Nadia, and Jessica R. We sat with Jeremy and just talked about God, about the weekend, and about our four friends who had just decided to follow Jesus after experiencing the conference. I laid there on the floor in his Ybor Heights home, and I felt so perfectly content. I wondered why, and here's what I gathered.

Jeremy doesn't have really anything in excess, materially. I mean, he has a TV and computer, lots of books, and typical household furniture... his kids have toys... but they're not super expensive, and there's not excess. But Jeremy DOES have his amazing wife (who I admire so much), his family, and a passion in his heart to follow God anywhere, and to serve His people the best that he can. This, I believe, is all I will ever need to be truly happy. I dreaded returning to my apartment and all my useless things and obligations. But I know that if I let him, God will lead me where he needs me to go. I trust him. My faith has grown so much...

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JJP, coming up!

Jesus, Justice, and Poverty conference this weekend... should be awesome. I hope. I don't really know what to expect, this is the first time IV is doing it. Still excited for it though.

I'll be sleeping outside in/near downtown Tampa (not quite sure where, maybe a park?) for two nights. So will a ton of other people. (Especially when you include in that number the people who sleep outside every night because they don't have a choice... :P )

Pray the cops don't arrest us... from what I understand, the vast majority of the 100 people who signed up chose to sleep outside, so we're probably gonna draw some attention, being such a large group.

Can't wait to see what God has in store for us all.

Anyone want to come?? The registration deadline is way passed, but I could probably pull a couple strings. I mean, what's one more when you already have 100?? Haha.