I went Homeless in San Francisco

Yes, it is true. Now I have gone out on Wednesday Nights to feed and pray for the homeless and others in Stockton. But last weekend I took it to another extreme and went Homless in San Francisco in the Bay View/ Cow Palace Area. Now if you know anything about the city, you know that Bay View is comparable to the crime in Compton, Inglewood, etc. And it was apparent that this is not a fantasy as we heard multiple guns shots between parties across the street three times during the night.

The reason for leaving my home to live on the streets in a cardboard box, to brace the elements of wind, cold, hunger, and to hear the sounds of gun shots, is I was with a group of people who were passionate about living for one night, how the kids are living in Uganda right now.

The experience was similar to a U.N. refugee camp with food rations, living communalily and hearing stories of the Uganda people. We left our homes for 1 night to live on the streets, but the Uganda people have been living this way for 20 years. Some of the participants said, "That's longer than I've bee alive". People as far as Las Vegas came to this event to stand up and try and put pressure on the U. N. and the United States government to bring peace talks between the Uganda Government and the Lords Resistance Army.

But this one night of becoming a homeless person wasn't just going on in San Francisco, it was going on in 15 cities across the country. 80,000 people came last year and because of that movement, schools were built, peace talks were made, and hope began to circulate that their could be end to this 20 year war.

This all came about because these 4 teenage boys went to Uganda Africa for a senior trip and saw first hand how this rebel group was abducting young kids and turning them into killing machines through a process of brainwashing, drugs, and making them kill. They documented their experience into a film called, "The Invisible Children". This movie has sparked a movement to begin putting a face and a story to the faceless people of Uganda.

This experience was eye opening as we felt a touch of how depressing it feels to be homeless, unwanted, and a reject of society. But it also gave me a sense of what a high calling Jesus had on his life. They called him a homeless rabbi because as he said, he had "no place to lay his head". Could you imagine that what you were called to do was be homless, heal people, become known as the Son of God, and then executed for the sake of the love your father has for you and me.

3 years Jesus did it. 20 years the Ugandan people have done it. I did it for one night.

An interesting experience with an interesting perspective.

-Justin

Do I have common sense?

Dear Blogster Readers,

Last night was an interesting night in the ghetto of Stockton. My pastor came out with me as our wednesday night group fed and prayed with people on the streets.

We clearly saw a women on some type of substance, probably heroin, and we went up to her and ask if she was hungry and if she wanted us to pray for her. I think all of us were supprised to see that as soon as I asked her, she grabbed our hands and wanted immediate prayer. Then after we prayed with her, she followed us wherever we went. I find it interesting that when people are clearly on drugs they follow us and many times want to be in our presence. But I think that it is not us that they want to be around, it is the Holy Spirit and God's presence that has a direct affect on them in their current mental capasity.

We went into Morman Slough which is a dried up revene that smells like urine and is very dark. We go down there because in pitch blackness under the overpasses, we ask if anyone is there and if they want something to eat. We found a couple sitting under a bridge and it was one of there birthdays. We gave them food and then sang happy birthday to her in pitch black, under a smelly bridge, in the ghetto of Stockton and made a woman named Evelyn smile.

My pastor said. "it takes a step of faith to go under those bridges" and then he also said, "some would say that we don't have alot of common sense". My reply was, "When did Jesus have common sense?"

Seriously, read what he did. Everything he did, apeared to as if Jesus had no common sense". His disciples were poor fisherman that could not support his ministry. He healed a blind man with spit and mud. He had plenty of chances to avoid dieing on the cross. He did not make friends with the religious people who could of supported him in his ministry. He hung out with sinners, outcasts, lowlifes, superfreaks, the very same kind of people we go and see on wednesday nights. Jesus had no common sense and he put his life at risk and yet, when people say their people of the faith, do they actually practice doing the things Jesus did or do they practive doing church.

My pastor also said something interesting, he said "it was a good exercise". I asked for clairfication because I thought he was talking about working out. But he was saying that it was a good thing to do, a good practice, a good thing to be reminded of. Exercise is an interesting term because it means a choir or trying to stay in shape. I began to be convicted that night because I often struggle with, am I doing what I am doing because it is an exercise or am I doing what I am doing because it is a lifestyle.

Jesus did not do what he did because he was exercising. Jesus did what he did because it was his lifestyle. He made it his lifestyle to love the broken, the poor, the blind, the lame, the outcasts and the sinners. He had no interest in creating a kingdom on this earth, but his interest lied in building a kingdom that was not of this earth.

Sometimes I think about what I am trying to build. The world wants you to build a kingdom of wealth, power, position, pretige, to be someone, or make a difference. Jesus' life reflects a world where you leave all of that and create a lifestyle on focusing on the things building a kingdom of heaven, which is the result of doing the things Jesus did and more on the earth today. But to do this you must leave this lifestyle of trying to build the kingdom on earth, but take a lower position and make a difference in this way.

I think even the church today is in this model of trying to build a kingdom on earth instead of doing the things Jesus did and to try and build a kingdom that may not look like much to our own eyes, but to God, it is like night and day.

-Justin