Not Too Busy For Love

Last week I had the pleasure of spending some time with my new friend Tom who holds a top executive position at a prominent Atlanta company. He has worked with the company for several years and has advanced through the ranks and is now leading one of the largest projects the corporation is undertaking. He is working all around the world to put this project together.

As you can imagine, Tom is an extremely busy man. Just scheduling the meeting took me several months to get forty-five minutes of his time. When I went to go meet with him at his office I felt like I was going to meet the President of the United States. Tom mentioned to me that he was squeezing me in between appointments and he only had a limited amount of time we could spend together. Like I said… Tom is extremely busy.

But, not too busy…

Tom and his family had become friends with the owners of a local Thai restaurant near his home. The family had moved here from Thailand to start this small business. Shortly after getting to know the couple Tom learned that the husband had had a major heart attack and had died. Tom’s heart was moved with compassion for this lady and her family and so he asked if there was something he could do for his new friends.

Suzy, the wife, then told Tom how her husband had purchased several thousand book bags, over the shoulder bags, gym bags, and duffel bags to open a second small business. Now that her husband had passed away she was stuck with all these bags. She suggested that maybe Tom could help her find a home for them. Tom then said to Suzy that he would make some calls and see where they could donate the bags to charity.

That is what brought Tom and me together… He called me just before Thanksgiving and asked if we could receive 1,000+ various bags. I told him that we could and that we would love to use them at our upcoming outreach.

So, this super busy business man and his son decided to take their Saturday to rent a truck, drive to Suzy’s house, load the bags, and deliver them to SHO and another large Atlanta charity.

SHO then distributed 700+ bags the Saturday after Thanksgiving to homeless men and women who desperately needed something to tote their items around in. The remainder of the bags were given out at Christmas to children who needed a new bag to finish out the school year. All in all close to 1,200 people were impacted by Tom’s single act of kindness.

Friends, we all have so much that we are trying to accomplish out of our day to day lives. I know what it feels like to be busy and overloaded with all that life has thrown at us. I hope that Tom’s story will be a reminder to us all to not become too busy to love. Be sensitive to see how your life can make a difference in someone else’s. You never know when the next opportunity to live love will appear. 

More Fear

This past weekend I had the pleasure of hosting a group of 35 junior high students from Perimeter Church. This team came to serve with us at SHO for the weekend. We engaged them in a whole variety of projects. We were homeless for a day, did work projects, hung out in the park, served meals at the evening services etc… One of the projects we love to do with groups is called midnight meals.

Midnight meals is a project that begins around 10:30 or so and we go look to find people living in the parking garages, under bridge ways, in parks, or sleeping on the street. When we get to the people we give them a meal, ask if they have any needs we can meet through our resources, offer them new resources, and pray with them before we leave. The project usually lasts until well past midnight. Hence the name.

This particular night my intern from the summer was able to come down and take over my group midway through. So, we departed at Grady hospital and began the long walk back to SHO by myself. I was nervous for most of the walk. Yes, I was even a little bit fearful.

After about 10 minutes of walking I finally got back to the SHO parking lot. Once I arrived I felt safe as I was on familiar territory. About that time a man yelled out to me from the street. He then started to approach me and ask me for food. I quickly told him that it was 12:30 at night and I was heading home to my family. He then asked if I would give him money. I told him no and started to get in my car to leave.

About that time a man pulled up on our parking lot in an SUV. He was one of the parents of the students who were out on the project. The man asking me for money then left me and went to go ask this parent for money. I quickly then walked over there to stop the man and to escort him off the property.

As soon as I told the guy that nobody was going to give him money he became angry with me and started threatening me. The worse part is by this time another man had come into the parking lot and kept trying to get repositioned behind me. I kept moving so I could keep them both in view. Finally, I positioned a car between me and the other man. However, the main guy was still in front of me and continuing to try and distract me.

The leader of the two then said to other, “No, don’t hit him.” As I turned to look to see if I was about to get attacked, the man closest to me put his hand on my neck and said, “boom! You’re dead.” I immediately withdrew from the guy and dialed 911 from my cell phone.

For the first time ever, 911 picked up on ring one. I immediately told the operator where I was and what was going on. As soon as the guys realized that I was on with 911 and the police were coming they headed out. I watched to make sure they were out of site and I then told the operator to call off the police.

I share this story with you so you can have an insight to my world. For some reason fear has been on my heals. I don’t why, but it feels like more and more fearful experiences keep coming into my path. For me, fear is perhaps the largest opposition to love I have.

You see, for me this fear paralyzes my love. I don’t want to reach out with compassion to someone who potentially could rob me, hurt me, or violate me. Further more, now that I have been violated in such a fashion it is going to take me a while to get over what just happened. If I were to come in contact with that man right now the chances are I would kick his ass all over the place. What he did to me crushed my heart and I am angry.

Again… all the opposite of love. 

The only choice I have is to release this fear and let love replace it. This is not going to be easy. My friends who believe in the faith, please keep me in your prayers.

FEAR The Opposition of Love

Last week I was working my usual Tuesday night impact service at SHO. Once the service was over and everyone was leaving one of our guests started getting unruly with one of our volunteers. The volunteer came and got me and told me how the guy had tried to assault him. We have a strict no fighting policy at SHO. If you fight, you are banned.

So, I went to the man and told him to leave the property and that he was not welcome to come back to Safehouse again. The man then became very upset and started telling me that he was going to punch me in my face. He refused to leave the property and told me that if I touched him that he was going to attack me.

I don’t know about you, but when someone begins to threaten me, fear begins to enter my heart. As the man went on and on threatening me my heart began to fill with fear. Eventually, my fear turned to anger. I was so mad that this guy was talking to me and to the volunteers at SHO that way.

Finally, after asking the guy to leave one more time and his refusal, I lost it. I then reached out towards the guy and grabbed him up in a big bear hug. I grabbed one of his arms and stuck it behind him. Another volunteer swooped in and grabbed his other arm. We then together took the man to the edge of the property and literally threw him out on the curb. Love had been suppressed; fear and anger had gotten the best of me.

Fear is so powerful.

Fear is a humbling force. It has the ability to attack us and cause us to suppress love. Weather it is fear in a relationship, fear in finances, fear in your job etc… All fear competes with love. It fills our heart and makes it so love can not escape.

In my case, I allowed fear to lead me to anger. I did not respond with love towards this man. Sure, I should have had the man removed from the property. But, I did not have to physically throw him out on the curb. Even the man who has threatened me and others is deserving of love and respect.  

So, how do we transcend fear?

One thing I have learned from this experience is we have to confront our fears head on. Through doing so, we will breakthrough the façade of fear and love will have it’s way in our heart again.