We are only a part of the journey

When I first started in the ministry of rescue I was a bit naïve and thought a bit too highly of my part in the life of the men. At that time, if a man would attempt to leave the program prematurely, I would (literally) stand in his way and plead with him not to go. I truly believed that for him to leave us would mean that he had stepped out of the Lord’s work in his life.

Today that thinking seems obviously misguided. I realize now that the Lord has been working in a man’s life well before he ever gets to us and that He will continue to work long after the man leaves us. We only get to participate with the Lord’s work in a man’s life and then only for a season (and seasons come and seasons go).

With this wiser, more accurate sense of our part in a man’s life we work hard to sense what the Lord is already doing in him when he arrives. As we interview him for potential intake into our program (we do not use this process for Emergency Services), we are looking for signs that we are the next step in the Lord’s plan for this man’s life.

We believe the Lord has led us in the development of the program services we offer. We also believe that if we are the best next step for a man then he will fit who we are. The essential criteria to help us make that decision are these:
Brokenness: has this man come to the end of his own efforts to make life work his way?
Openness: is this man ready to receive input from others?
Desperation: does this man see the severity of his life condition and the consequences if he does not get help?

The intake interview is a two-step, two-person process. The Emergency Shelter Chaplain begins the process and I complete it. Along the way we attempt to connect deeply enough with the man to see his true condition –often by offering him alternatives— to see if he is actually ready for who we are. If we believe he is ready, he is invited in. If we are not sure he is ready, he is placed on a one week trial period. If we do not believe he is ready, he is not invited in.

Once a man enters the program we evaluate him regularly as to his continued brokenness, openness and desperation. If it becomes clear that a man no longer has these key life-change prerequisites, it may be time for him to leave. To discern this, we convene a panel of his peers (3) and staff members (3 or more). And through a lengthy conversation with him, we determine whether or not he should continue to be in our program.

If we release a man, we are not at all “giving up on him.” We are instead stepping aside for the next step in the Lord’s journey for the man. We may, down the road, be used again in that journey and we may not; we are only part of the journey.

- Aaron Eggers, Men’s Ministries

Apologies...

Sadly, my blog management has been pretty pathetic. Once again, I will pledge to try to do better. Hopefully you will see at least 2 new posts per week (I will try for more, but 2 is a realistic commitment at this time).

I hope the stories we share are an encouragement to any who read them and give you a glimpse into life at Water Street.

-Jack

God gives lemonade...

A story as told by Maurice Yarbrough, Food Service Director:

God (through his people and many local companies) keeps our kitchen stocked with enough food and drink to provide 3 meals a day to hundreds of residents and friends from the community. Sometimes though, both staff and clients can begin to take God's abundant provision for granted. Earlier this week, we ran out of flavored drinks (teas, juices, etc) and we had several meals in a row where the only option we had was water.

Some individuals, a little disappointed and frustrated, began to complain about the situation. God prompted me to help them check their spirits, so rather than listen to their complaining, I encouraged them to pray about it and ask God to provide something other than water.

How exciting to see God answer the prayer so quickly, when later that same day, a truck dropped off two cases of juice. Then, the next morning, we received a donation of two skids of Turkey Hill lemonade (if you never worked in a warehouse, that's a lot of lemonade).

Maybe someday, we'll all be more like Paul: "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." (Phil 4:12b) Still, we will acknowledge and thank God for all he does (in spite of our attitudes, sometimes).

Jesus was a Homeless Stranger

At the end of an especially trying week, I pulled into the parking lot at 210 South Prince Street. The male residents were making their way to chapel. The mothers and their children were returning from the dining hall to their dormitory.

While in the car still, I finished up a phone call with a friend caught up in turmoil. His life was spiraling downward and he was fragile and angry. The conversation was turning accusatory and I was receiving the brunt of it. It was becoming harder and harder emotionally for me to maintain my composure. I began to sob in my car now parked in a space in front of the mission. I quietly said goodbye and hung up. I sensed our friendship coming to an end. I felt the sting of rejection. I was in pain.

But there was a job waiting for me in Administration. I had a supervisor depending on me. I wiped away tears and began to cross the parking lot. From the corner of my eye I saw Francisco, a newer resident, who I greeted every morning on the corner where he started his day.

I didn’t have any energy for Francisco this morning. I’ll pretend I don’t see him, I thought. He won’t notice. As I neared “his” corner it became obvious our paths would intersect. He extended his hand to me. I reached out mine... he grasped it and he held it up to his heart. “Buenos dios,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “Hello,” he said, smiling a wide toothless grin.

There are times my problems can seem so small. And yet so big. Simply put, God sees them all. And in this instance He provided me comfort from a homeless stranger. Francisco showed me Jesus. May I be able to do the same.

- Debbi Miller, Administration

God says that He loves me...

I say I want help…but I spurn advice.
I say I want to change…but I refuse to learn how.
I say I want to love…but I continue to hate.
I say I want to know God…but I seek him not.
I say I’m tired of this life…but I hang on with a death grip.
I say I understand…but in reality I haven’t a clue.
I say that I’m listening…but I don’t really hear.
I say that I care…but yet it’s all about me.
I say that I’m grateful…but I complain everyday.
I say that “you’re right”…but I sneer at your stupidity.
I say that I’m afraid…but I never let anyone see it.
I say that I’m hurting…but I cover it with a laugh.
I say that I’m willing…but then I break all the rules.
I say I love my Dad…but I’m still waging war with him.
I say I love my Mom…but my feelings matter more than hers.
I say I want to go to church…but I seek out hypocrisy.
I say that you’re my friend…but that’s solely for my benefit.
I say I know I’m a sinner…but I’m not as bad as you.
I say that God has blessed me…but I take everything for granted.
I say “maybe tomorrow”…but I don’t even have it.
I say I desire humility…but I don’t bend my knees to pray.
I say that I practice forgiveness…but I cherish perceived ways.

God says that He loves me…but I say, “Why?”

—Don (Men’s CLD Program)

Waves happen

There seems to be a never ending series of waves that course through our lives. Many of them seem to arrive with a crash, knocking us down and pummeling us under their weight. Others sweep in to swamp us; they lift us from our footing and leave us feeling vulnerable and out of control. Still others provide a great opportunity to surf.

Recently I commented to my boss that I felt as though I had caught a wave. I was blissfully surfing through life feeling courageous, even invincible. I further commented to him that I knew it wouldn’t last, but boy was it a great ride!

Sure enough, that wave ran its course and while I was there basking on the shore in the memories… the next wave hit. Today I am pressed to the bottom as what feels like the full weight of the ocean sits on my back.

I have felt like quitting recently, yet not a very short time ago I felt like a champion, exercising heroic faith and conquering in the Name of the Lord all that came at me.

As I prayerfully analyze this fall from crest to crevasse, to see if I can learn something that might reduce the expanse between the two, I become aware of a few things:
-In both conditions I sense the Lord is very close.
-In both conditions I sense the Lord is Sovereign and in control.
-In both conditions I sense that time is running and change is coming

My conclusion in all this: waves happen, and then they are gone and then another one comes. Some will crash, some will swamp and some will provide a great opportunity to surf.

At the end of the day, “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” (Job 2:10)

-Aaron Eggers, Men’s Ministries

Tears...

The women’s shelter can be very sobering. In one night I experienced three issues that nearly brought me to tears.

1. On Monday evenings while adults are in chapel, a volunteer provides a special activity for the children. On this particular night, the mother of a 7-year-old girl was called out of chapel because her daughter was practically screaming for her mom. I found out later that while out of the mission on an approved pass that weekend, the mother had run into her husband. The two got into a fight which landed her in the hospital with a concussion. Her oldest daughter, the one crying, must have seen it happen, and now didn’t want to leave her mom’s side.
2. After praying for months, one mother in the shelter recently received custody of her 5-year-old son. Since coming to the shelter, the boy’s disposition and attitude showed that his past years of life with his father had included little discipline or stability. When he was playing with some other children tonight, energy levels were high and the play soon turned a bit dangerous. Before his mother could step in and calm things down, the boy ran into the corner of a piano and cracked his head open. While by itself, it wasn't very serious, the injury would add to several other recent accidents that were incurred from the boy doing the opposite of what his mother said. As the two sat together waiting for a ride to the hospital, she mouthed to me with despair, “I can’t take much more of this.”
3. For evening check-in, adults over 18 report to the counselor’s office. A woman’s children have no responsibilities at this time. Tonight a woman checked in holding a newborn, saying it was her granddaughter. The baby’s mother didn’t check in, so I assumed the grandmother had custody of the baby, or some such situation. Later that night, I dropped off sanitary supplies in the same woman’s room. It was then that I finally saw the mother of the newborn – a 13-year-old girl. A girl who should have been doing her hair or studying for school but was instead pumping breast milk. I had to leave the room before tears spilled down, realizing that this baby would be 11 by the time her mother was my age.

I never realized the role that stability plays in a child’s life. I’m hurting inside tonight, and I’m wondering if I would be able to make it if I were homeless.

-Maria Ream, Development Dept

Encouragement...

Lately, we have been asked to take special notice of the "good" that is happening all around us... In our last staff meeting, we were asked to encourage our co-workers... The other day, Cheryl Wahlberg sent an email, requesting that we take time to encourage our volunteers...

Encouragement is big...our words can uplift or tear down.

What does God think of us?

God thinks that we are extraordinary people. He sees our interactions as being compassionate; full of grand knowledge & wisdom. He imagines the Joy that we will experience, when our feet first land in His eternal Heaven. He sees the many who will greet us, among whom will be those we didn’t even think could possibly be touched by our attempts. His only desire is that we step into the next level of life with Him; simply freeing our whole being into His capable hands—for greater, fuller ministry. Though we feel under qualified, we are eternal Royals, to whom He has given a very special & precious name that is way too wonderful for any other being to even hear. It is this precious name that we have heard in the quiet moments of our days. He has been calling & inviting us to Him; to deeply know His heart of Love.

God knows all that we do and yet sees us as walking in humility, simply allowing Him to shine His Glory through us. He perpetually invites us into deeper Joy & intimate relationship with Him & with those we serve. He invites us to “Watch what He does, and then do it", like children who learn proper behavior from their parents.

Mostly what He does is love us. He desires that we keep company with Him and learn a life of Love. He desires that we observe how Christ loved us. His Love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of Himself to us. God desires that we Love like that” Ephesians 5:1-2 (The Message).

God thinks that we play a large part on His Team, here at the Water Street Rescue Mission.

- Norm Lowry, Men’s Ministry

Supplies

Philippians 4:19—But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

According to Strong’s Greek dictionary, the word “supply” here means: to make replete, that is to … satisfy… accomplish… (be) complete… fill (up)… perfect.

I am constantly amazed at the way God acts to “supply” the needs of Water Street Rescue Mission. In the few short months that I’ve been here, I’ve seen many examples of God providing according to His riches, including the following unsolicited contributions:

• Sarah, a woman who called me to verify the validity of a fundraising project she had read about and ended up donating to that project
• An offer from an individual to donate a washer/dryer pair, which was until then an unmet need at the Lydia Center.
• An offer from a local truck maintenance shop to provide maintenance and inspections for our large fleet vehicles.
• Several vehicles donated to the Mission by community members. These donations have allowed us to provide transportation for clients as well as staff job-related travel.
• Individuals and groups coming together to provide new roofs for several of our Teen Haven Camp buildings.
• A consistent supply of volunteers that provide much-appreciated and critical assistance with facility maintenance, food & clothes sorting, kitchen duties, and many other tasks.
• A camp called asking if we could donate mattresses to them. At the time, we did not have enough to fill the needs of the camp as well as our own, but we gave them as many as we could. Shortly thereafter, we received a donation of over 100 mattresses! (See Who do these mattresses belong to anyway? , posted on the blog on June 13).
• Groups from local churches that have pulled together to meet needs, such as the church group that is currently working on redoing our Men’s Emergency Shelter ceiling.

One of the great things about working here is seeing the hand of God daily in the way he sends “supplies” to us and helps us meet the needs of our clients.

-Scooter Haase, Director of Operations

Fake I.D.s

Many of us may be walking about with fake I.D.’s. By this, I mean we are not living out life as the person God says we are, but rather who we think we are.

Since God likes to use people in keeping His promise to supply our needs, I put out a sign-up sheet a while ago asking for help with some painting at the outreach center. I was specifically giving the folk who receive goods from God through Water Street Rescue Mission the opportunity to help upgrade the place. We had a few sign up but none actually came on the designated day.

How, when, why, where, and who we serve or don’t serve will always be determined by who we think we are. Working in outreach over the last few months one thing has become clear to me. People who volunteer to serve do so out of a perception of who they are and whose they are. Most of our volunteers would say they know they are people of God and have something to offer. Many come with an understanding that they are missionaries of sorts serving here at the rescue mission.

Those who receive services through outreach also have a perception of who they are. How we interact with one another either confirms or dispels what we believe to be true about ourselves. Many of those served see themselves as the mission field only. Do we confirm that identity or dispel it? While it is true that they are receiving from God according to God’s promise it is unfortunate if that is all they see about themselves.

The same holds true for those considering themselves missionaries exclusively. Do we confirm or dispel that illusion? It is unfortunate if the only role they perceive for themselves is that of the giver. People assuming themselves to be missionaries have to learn how to live by faith before they can truly be effectively used of God. By effective I mean that God’s purpose is fulfilled - that the givers and receivers are all blessed. God’s people must know how to receive graciously in order to be gracious givers.

No individual is merely mission field or missionary. We are all both. It is in learning to be gracious receivers from God that we become capable of being gracious givers. Believe it or not we all play a vital role in shaping the identity of the people we interact with. Let’s be careful that our identities are not misshaped and that we don’t misshape the identities of others. Those who see themselves as mission field only will never volunteer to serve because they assume the role of receivers only. They miss the blessing God promises when we give of ourselves. Those who assume they are only givers have taken on the role of God and that role is already filled.

- Conrad Moore, Outreach Ministries

A day in the life of Water Street volunteers…

Water Street is a place where you can go to feel happiness and love coming off everyone’s face. Ever since our mom got a job at Water Street we have wanted to volunteer.

Before we came to Water Street we knew that something was missing in our lives. We didn’t quite know what. When our mom got the job at Water Street we knew that volunteer work was our calling from God. We have come down to Water Street frequently and we love it. The atmosphere at Water Street just puts a smile on your face and a feeling of joy in your heart.

We have helped out at many of the events at Water Street. We helped face paint at the Open House and had a memorable time. We also enjoyed everything about working at the Golf Tournament. Everything except for the fact that we woke up at 5:30 in the morning!

Working with the people at Water Street have helped us look at people differently. It has also given our hearts a boost for caregiving for the rest of our lives.

- Naomi and Esther, age 14

Real people

As a volunteer in women’s ministries, I assist counselors in the evening. Simple tasks like marking off each woman when she checks in for the evening or getting sheets and towels for a new resident allow me to slowly build relationships. It also gives me a chance to simply hang out with real people who happen to be homeless.

Last night when one resident checked in for the evening, her makeup was smeared and her eyes were red. I knew that she could have quite a temper, so at first I simply greeted her and did the necessary paperwork. Later I had a chance to talk to her briefly and learn just a bit of her pain. She has a 6-month old daughter who was taken away by Children and Youth. Her 2-year-old daughter, who she hasn’t seen for about a year and a half, is living with her sister. Someone at work that night apparently knew these facts and others, and made some harsh comments. The truth often hurts. At just 22, this young lady is experiencing a lot of guilt. I’m not sure that she sees her life in God’s perspective – that she is His beautiful creation, that He loves her and has actually already cancelled her sin if she’ll only believe.

So much of her life is ahead of her… plenty of time to fix things and still be a mother to her children. Please pray she will not give up. Pray she will fall in love with Jesus and never let go. And as she’s on this journey, pray for the staff and volunteers who interact with her…that we may offer real help that will empower not enable.

- Maria Ream, Development Department

Taking it home...

When I originally started my job as a counselor [at the Lydia Center], my boss told me "don't take it home with you," and I thought 'sure...I leave the paperwork at work.' Not so. It's not the paperwork that goes home with me. It's the precious hearts and pain and disciplinary issues of the ladies that go home with me.

• Some days all their requests and the chaos and noise make my head spin.
• Some days the attitudes make me want to shake them and tell them to grow up.
• Some days the angry outbursts make me want to hide under my desk.
• Some days the refusal to talk and share of themselves during counseling makes me want to scream, or at the very least walk out of the room for a bit 'til my impatience calms down.
• Some days I mourn as I see the continual hardening of a life, or when another lady chooses to leave...unchanged.
• Some days (like today) I am priveleged to pray with ladies as they commit their lives to Christ for the first time.
• Some days I rejoice at an "aha" moment, or b/c of the emotional and spiritual healing that God is doing in their lives.
• Some days I love them so much I cry...because I want so much more for them than they want for themselves.
  

I find I am learning at the Lydia Center the things I most wanted (when initially taking the "job") to learn:

1) Not to stereotype, judge, or look down upon people who are living in addictions, sexual immorality, and crime, b/c in my heart I have the same exact pain and sins...I only choose less physically destructive and more legal coping mechanisms, and hopefully allow myself to be convicted of my sin and live in a lifestyle of confession and forgiveness.

2) The heart of the Father. Surely He feels some of these things when He deals with me!

3) To be stretched. Oh yes, WAAAAY out of my comfort zone! But that is good. Because He is good and He is with me in the stretching. I had a thought the other day that (like a rubberband) God only stretches us to the point that He wants to launch us. So I'm getting excited about what He's preparing to launch me to in my future. Yet for now I will be stretched...b/c I am called here and my heart is here.

I am thankful for the heart of compassion that Christ has given me for these precious ladies, and I only hope that I will be faithful to love them with His love, to see them with His eyes, to walk with them to the best of my ability during this crucial time of their lives.

-Lorene Brubaker, Lydia Center

Testimony

When a friend from church died, I was looking in the Obituary column, I discovered this "testimony" of Madelyn "Tootie" Dixon who died in 2006 ( "In loving memory of"... by her family).

I thought is was so good, I cut it out and want to share it with others:

When I said..."I am a Christian"
I wasn't shouting "I'm clean livin."
I was whispering, "I am lost"
Now I'm found and forgiven.

When I said...."I am a Christian"
I wasn't bragging of success.
I was admitting I had failed
And needed God to clean my mess.

When I said..." I am a Christian"
I wasn't holier than thou,
I was just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace, somehow.

- Arlene Snyder, WS Clinic Volunteer

Teamwork

Imagine a football team. In its ideal condition each player does his part to support the whole, under the direction of special team’s coaches, who in turn support the assistant coaches, who likewise support the head coach.

In this idyllic world, the Offensive Coach focuses on offense in full trust that the Defensive Coach is working on defense, and vice versa. Each one knows his best contribution to the team is two-fold: do his job and trust the others to do theirs.

In team sports there are three things which will bring the team concept to its knees:

1. Coaches who second guess other coaches: each coach is chosen for his expertise in some area. It is destructive to the team (and very silly) for the Offensive Coach to believe he would have made a better decision than the Defensive Coach made in some situation. This presumes that the one had all of the same information and expertise as the other, which is always untrue. We cannot possibly know what we would do in a situation until we sit in the seat of the decider. We must trust the other coach and focus on our own area, or the team fails.
2. Players who second guess other players: a good coach will never allow players to undermine team morale by negative assertions about other coaches or other players. Effective coaches will redirect a disgruntled player to the team goals and specifically, to his own contribution to team play. If the coach listens without redirecting, team morale will fracture and the team will fragment into isolation and competing interests. Our own personal disappointment must be set aside for the good of the team.
3. Murmuring to others about someone else: nothing is more destructive inside a team than this. It is the thread that connects items 1 & 2 above. Expressing negativity about others, instead of to them, is like pouring acid on the team; it eats away the foundation upon which teamwork is built: Trust! To foster trust we must all agree to two abiding principles: 1) believe that others are doing their best, and 2) never speak negatively about them; only to them.

We at WSRM are a team, assigned to the most important ministry in the universe. We are most effective as we work as a team. This work is too important not to. We are a part of something bigger than ourselves.

- Aaron Eggers, Men’s Ministries

Fathers Day Reflections...

...Having a good dad was nice. I just wish that he hadn’t died when I was twelve.

…This is my dad and mom. They came all the way from Missouri to visit with me.

…My dad was a monster and I was his evil twin.

…My daughter checked in to the women’s shelter last night. Do you think it would be okay to see if she would be willing to talk to me?

…My dad moved halfway around the world to fight a war. When he was done fighting, he just left…without me.

…I miss my children; I’m resentful toward my dad; but, I’m becoming grateful toward my heavenly father. Please pray for me.

…My dad and my children are dead.

…My daughter wrote to me and still wants me to be in her life.

…My daughter and I used heroin together.

…Look what my daughter gave to me: Dad—So much has happened in this past year and through it all I believe you have become a much stronger and better man…and father. You are and always will be my Daddy. I love you and hope you have a great Father’s Day.

- CLD Program Men

Who do these mattresses belong to anyway?

Note: Occassionally, other ministries and congregations contact us to see if we can assist them with a pressing need they might have as they attempt to serve their congregations and communities. When the Lord supplies sufficiently through our faithful donors, and the partnership fulfills our mission, we attempt to help as we are able. Being good stewards of what the Lord provides and staying faithful to the donor's intent are high priorities when making these decisions... God has a way of helping us know how to respond as well...

This week a camp called asking if we have any extra single mattresses we could give them since they needed to replace a bunch at their camp. We have a good supply of them on hand so I gave them a smaller portion (33) of what we had available (not meeting their entire need), since we do need to look out for our own needs too.

Just after he left this morning with his second load, I was asking Maurice (our food services coordinator) how to know when you should give away all that God has given to us and when to hold back something for our own use. Arriving back in my office I got a call from Conestoga View wanting to donate 100-150 single mattresses!

God will meet all your needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus! Thank you Lord for this reminder when I am so slow to get it.

-Dean Wenger, RDC

Eyes front

Did you ever walk by someone who lives on the street and look the other way, hoping they wouldn’t notice or, God forbid, speak to you? The temptation to react this way is huge, and society teaches us that this is an acceptable reaction to poverty and homelessness.

We’ve become so comfortable with poverty and homelessness that we hardly notice their end results. As a former resident of Chicago and Boston, my ability to see without noticing became finely tuned, although having this ability didn’t alleviate the nagging feeling there was more going on here than meets the eye.

I have the opportunity to interact and work with our clientele on a daily basis and I can tell you that each one of them has a life history filled with many of the same things as you and me. The biggest thing that usually separates us is a few decisions along that way the either of us could have made differently.

I recently had the privilege of having my teenage step-son (Daniel) spend a day with me at the mission. During that day, he spent several hours working with one of our clients (Don) and the two of them developed a real connection. As we were driving home that day, Daniel said to me “I really like Don. We had a great time together, he’s a great guy!” I agree; I’ve had the opportunity to get to know Don and he is a special person. The next thought that came into my head was: how would Daniel and I have reacted to Don if we’d met him on the street instead of at the Mission? It’s upsetting to me that there was a time when I would have discounted Don as a person and just walked past him while trying to avoid looking at him.

We can’t all work at a rescue mission, nor should we, but there is more you can do. I invite you to take a moment to consider your reaction to poverty and homelessness, based on only one idea: there’s a real person of God’s creation under the rags, the smell, and the dirt. It’s very likely that this person under the rags is someone that could have a real impact on Daniel, me, and you if given the chance. You don’t have to give money, cars, or even your time to our clients or those still on the streets, but I invite you to consider giving them your love, respect, and most of all, your prayers. Look them in the eye and say hello, you might be surprised at the good it does for both of you.

- Scooter Haase, Operations

Grace-based Ministry

A Father recounts the following story[i]:

“When my daughter Abrielle was four she came running down the hall screaming, "I don't want to die! I swallowed a stone!" I immediately determined that nothing was obstructing her throat but she was still in a panic."It's OK, sweetheart. You're not going to die," I said. She thought I didn't understand. "But I swallowed a stone! It was a blue one!" she emphasized, as if I should realize this was a particularly deadly stone.

Apparently, a babysitter, in order to discourage her from putting things in her mouth, told her she could die if she swallowed the wrong things, and to Aby, that included polished stones I'd given her. I assured her she was in no danger; that the stone would come out in the morning when she went "poo poo." She ran to the toilet, "I want it out now!" She was pushing so hard it looked like a blood vessel would burst. She was frightened and desperate.Moments like this test and refine your values. Truth and reason weren't working. So I lied."I know what to do," I said, and I ran to get a spoonful of maple syrup. "Here, swallow this syrup. It will melt the stone." "Will it be gone?" she asked. "Absolutely," I replied. She swallowed the syrup and announced triumphantly, "Daddy melted the stone. I'm not going to die." The emergency was over, but I hated lying to her. Though I worried she would never trust me again, I had to tell her the truth a few weeks later. Today, she's almost nine, and I heard her using the story to tell her sisters that her daddy always takes care of her. Funny, she trusts me even more.”

The Father in this incident stumbled on something deep: ‘Truth is really important, but trust is the ultimate treasure.’

Trust and Grace

At Water Street Rescue Mission, we are asking this question: ‘Is what we are doing, thinking, or saying building or undermining the potential for building trust?’[ii] Our mission to skillfully share the gospel leads us to establish a trust bond with each resident, with conviction of this culminating in ‘a resident trusting God.’[iii] So to effectively share the gospel we must do all we can to encourage this bond of trust with the men, women, and children who come to our door.

But getting someone to trust is not easy. Accordingly we promote this trust by encouraging an atmosphere where grace lives. That is, we motivate others to begin to trust us by always operating in their best interest – which is our practical definition of grace. And this grace is what draws others to a relationship with God.

This culture of grace is neither license nor law. It is a place where both resident and staff member can freely acknowledge their position in this process of becoming more like Jesus. It is a place of safety where weaknesses and failure provide glimpses into the deeper issues of the heart. It is a place of risk where staff members are vulnerable and residents are held accountable to their choices. And it is a place where true heart change occurs not through compulsion or coercion to conform but by the prompting and power of the Holy Spirit.

- Steve Brubaker, Residential Ministries
[i] The Blue Stone and the White Lie, told to me by Brad Hoopes
[ii] See, Christianity Confronts Culture, Marvin Mayers, Zondervan, pp. 32-33.
[iii] Ibid.

Perspective...

Someone once said, of God, that He is “Lord of the Heights of Faith that can calm the troubled soul and Lord of the Depths of Fear that can tear such Faith apart”.

In our line of work, we daily come face-to-face with both extremes. Most everyone who finds our doors genuinely desires change; they want a reprieve from a life of choices that just do not work. For a brief moment, all are touched by God and by his life-changing faith. But few will find this place of life-change, because the personal “cost” is just too great. Most desire the better life but find little value in the need to die well (to self) in order to have that better life. This means a return to faith-rending fear.

As a leader (and as a daily-recovering addict to self-exaltation) my constant prayer is for Perspective. This world (Water Street Rescue Mission) that I so dearly love is full of destruction and death (and a few visible victories). In my middle-of-the-night prayer times, the burden of pain often seems unbearable. Yet always He comes very softly, holds me close, and reminds me of just Who He Is (and of who I am not). He also reminds me of the day (about a year ago) that I stepped into His absolute contentment that makes these nightly “deaths to self” have value. He reminds me of His absolute Sovereignty and of the fact that He is Good. He reminds me of how, since His lovely Jesus traded His Righteousness for the Sin of all humanity, He is able to use even Sin to shape us into His Image.

Truly, “He is the Lord of All; of the seen and unseen things; of the creation that proclaims Him; of the power not to sin. He has always been and always will be Lord of All”.

- Norm Lowry, Men’s Ministry