Summer BBQ Downtown 7/7/13

Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel.  Under his feet was something like pavement made of sapphire, clear as the sky itself.  But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank. --Exodus 24:9-11

No there weren't seventy people and no we didn't see God, but His presence was felt and we ate and drank.  This was the most ethnically diverse group of folks I've had at a BBQ and everyone enjoyed themselves.  I had been so concerned about the police showing up and shutting things down, but they never appeared.  The only real issue was the noise from the freeway overhead. Yes, we were literally under the overpass.  The street we used was a small little street called Wall St.  Yeah, we've got one out here too, but it's very small and where it runs into Washington Blvd there is very little traffic on Sundays.  When I first arrived, Willie, Charles and Santa Barbara were there waiting for me.  After I got the food ready Paul, Tom and Louis who live on the sidewalk across the street came over.  Tom made a comment about the smoke from the grill making a beeline to their 'camp', but I think that was just so I'd ask if they wanted to join us (he didn't know that was the plan all along).  It turns out Tom is quite an artist and brought over some of his drawings.  One of them was a very unique drawing of Christ on the cross with an angel holding His head up.  It was obvious he has exceptional artistic talent.  Louis, who I met before, was just waking up (yeah, it was 4 pm) and was about the happiest person there.  He kept commenting to me about the big smile on my face!  Eddie works and lives at the recycling place across the street.  I had never met him, but he and I talked together for quite awhile.  I guess one of the recurring themes with some of the people yesterday that I don't know as well as Willie and Santa Barbara, was why I do this.  I was actually asked if I was a 'man of the cloth'.  They were somewhat amazed when I told them I wasn't and am just a regular guy like them.  I told them that although I go to church and am called to do this by Christ, my function is just to tell people about the Jesus I know.  The Jesus who talks with and accepts the people living on the fringe that most people attending churches don't associate with.  Yesterday, with this group, mostly one on one and using very short stories, I was able to weave biblical stories of Jesus encountering people and some of my own personal experiences in coping  with my struggles in life to show how God loves and cares about them.  Of course, the goal of these stories is to encourage people and to let them know that they don't have to be stuck in the mindset where they are now which may be indifference or out and out anger with God and people.  Two of the folks yesterday, Charles and Santa Barbara, spent most of the time laying down (they weren't feeling well).  Santa Barbara has a serious illness that I've been witness to for almost a year. There were several other people who were walking by, Guillermo and Earnest were two that I remember who stayed and got fed.  I tried to make this as close to a park BBQ with family and friends as I could.  I'm sure that most all of these folks at one time or another in their past had a day of food, family and friends.  That's what I was shooting for, just to have a good day for these people.  I prayed with nearly everyone and my goal of bringing a good day and a piece of the kingdom of heaven to earth for these people was pretty much accomplished.  But I wasn't done yet....

I had plenty of food left and it was only about 6 pm, so I packed everything up and drove over to where Maurice and Elisha live on 8th St just off Alameda and BBq'd for them too.  They have become kind of like next door neighbors to me.  People you can drop in on anytime and be welcomed.  When I got out of the car Elisha told me to congratulate Maurice on being a Papa!  Yeah, she is (they think).  I stayed with them for about two hours too.  During this time I had an update on a story I had told them a week or two ago about a little four year old girl in Madagascar.  I had heard from a missionary/orphanage group that this little girl had been found abandoned and near death.  She was brought to a hospital and this group immediately sent people over to care and talk to her.  It turned out she didn't know if she had a name or not, she didn't know of one!  I know the continent of Africa has been decimated by the AID's virus and many kids have been left orphans with maybe an older sibling as their only caregiver.  So what happens when the older sibling is suddenly gone or unable to care for them anymore?  So the missions group started caring for this little girl even though she was still in the hospital being nursed back to health.  They went over a list of possible names for her and she liked the name Sarah.  Did you know that Sarah means 'princess'?  How fitting.  So for the last two weeks this little girl, Sarah, was happy and smiling and looking forward to coming home with them, knowing she now had a home.  Then suddenly a few nights ago Sarah died.  The orphanage staff was devastated.  One of the staff members posted these words on facebook, "So sad.  Our beautiful Princess Sarah just passed away in the hospital.  We are not sure why..she was doing so well and starting to get better.  We are all in shock as this was not what we expected.  But at least in the last few weeks of her life she knew that she was precious and beautiful and that she was so loved.  Instead of being abandoned and rejected, she was wanted and adored and knew that we loved her so much.  Now she's happy in the arms of her amazing daddy God with no more pain and no more needles and is able to walk and run and play again.  We miss you already though, our beautiful girl."  Then she used a quote from the co-founder of the organization, Heidi Baker, "We lay our lives down for love, and we give our lives away.  We cannot just love with our words.  Love is in truth and in our actions."  Although this story is so tragic from our perspective on this side of eternity, it reminds me of the truth that all love is precious and it is never wasted.  The apostle Paul's words in the great 'love chapter' in Corinthians tells us, "Love is patient, love is kind, ...it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."  I had always understood the 'endures all things' part as enduring pain and trouble that loving someone sometimes brings, but in light of this story it occurred to me that the expression of love itself endures forever.  Acts of kindness and love endure because God himself remembers them forever.  Pretty cool.

So I always have these big fears before I do a BBQ.  What if no one shows up, what if we get shut down, what if..what if.  So I come up with contingency plans.  I could go over to Lincoln park and use the grills there and cook everything and take them around to everyone, or go find a safe alley and cook everything.  Because God is more than able to change an unexpected obstacle into triumph I guess I should never worry but I still do (one of my many flaws that I'm working on).  Oh, so I guess I should tell you what I 'forgot to bring".  It's always something, this time it was the potato salad.  I had bought a couple of pounds of it and left it in the refrigerator at home.  I forgot my cell phone, so I couldn't take pictures.  Well, I bought some more potato salad and a disposable camera.  I took some pictures, but it will take a few days to get them developed and back, so maybe next week I'll post them. --Until next time.  John

PS.  I'll leave you with this quote from a film group on their facebook page, "Stop telling people about the gospel. Start showing them."  Well, I don't think it's an either or thing.  Perhaps, if we show people what the gospel (the good news) looks like first, then they'll be more willing to listen.  What do you think?