Shoulder The Cross

The Wisdom Tooth

Teiha came and told us how bad her teeth were hurting. "It kept me awake all night last night and I have gotten to the point where I can't even open my mouth to eat anymore. I have had to chop my food into little tiny pieces" she said. We told her to wait until everyone had been served and Shoulder the Cross would call a dental contact to see if they had any openings. After the lined had finally suppressed, Teiha, who was initially the first person in line, came up to us and we made the call to Dr. Scott Smith's office at Buttercup Dental. "We have an opening at 3:20 today. Bring her by and we would be more than happy to see her". We picked her up at 2:40 at Wooldridge Square Park and headed north to Cedar Park. We dropped her off then headed out to get a bus pass. Getting a bus pass would make it easier for her to get back downtown and giving her a 7 day bus pass would definitely benefit her. We made it back to the dentist around 4:30 after she was all done. Dr. Smith gave her a prescription for antibiotics to kill the horrible infection she had and set her up with an appointment to have her wisdom teeth removed 3 days later. Teiha was grateful because using her MAPS card would not have given her the service they did at Buttercup Dental. She was sure that an appointment through MAPS to have the tooth even looked at could have been weeks away. Hopefully all goes well on Thursday, updates to follow.

 

Developing a relationship to share the good news

It was a great week for Shoulder the Cross. Samuel showed up this week with his normal smile and great attitude. When asked about Jesus, Samuel said "I don't know a lot about Him, but I want to learn". the following day, we treated Samuel to lunch and talked about Jesus. Samuel was wearing a hat with the names "Luke, Mathew, Mark, John and Peter". Samuel asked "Who are these dudes, were they Jesus' friends?" This was a great lead in to talking about the Gospel. "Who is Peter then?" Samuel asked. He soon found out Peter's denial to his best friend Jesus. We talked about Judas a little as well. Samuel later explained why he was homeless. "Drugs and Alcohol" he explained. Samuel agreed to go into detox, then rehab and future hopes of a halfway house and being lifted off the streets. After agreeing to getting treatment, we brought him to Blue Bonnet Trails for his OSAR (Outreach, Screening, Assessment, Referral) evaluation. He is waiting for a Detox bed to open up. We took Samuel back to his home in the woods near Lady Bird Lake, when asked what he had learned that day Samuel said "That Peter guy, he gave Jesus the finger. Judas? He put his finger on God and lost" Given this translation, it is obvious why there are so many translations of the bible. The New Living Translation is already taken, right?

God's work in all His Glory

I was blessed today to step in for Brian. I don't know what it is with these sweet people but I always feel so comfortable around them. They are so appreciative and after I have served them I feel so ashamed to complain about anything. Kimbra and Connie showed up. Connie handled the clothing orders and Kimbra was the Barista and I took care of their other needs with this extremely well equipped truck. My daughter Rachael who is 18, donated some clothing and shoes for the women as well. Everyone I talk to about Shoulder the Cross wants to be a part in it. They are so moved how one person can touch so many lives. Brian has an amazing heart and I am so proud to do the little that I can to help. What I walked away from this morning was love from these folks, a more appreciative attitude and a softer heart. In the midst of my own personal issues, being with them made me walk away remembering why I am really here and who I am really living for. God always shows up in the midst of those in need and today was no exception. I felt his presence and his calmness and his love the entire time.

We are growing!!

What a wonderful time it has been for Shoulder the Cross. It is very excited to see growth within the ministry. God's glory has shined as several volunteers have stepped up to help out. A trip to California kept one of us away for doing Jesus' work on the streets. As soon as word went out that we were canceling the Monday run, Rene Dorsey stepped up to fill in, preventing the cancelation. The Sandwiches for Monday's run were made by Hillarie Smith. It was amazing how heavy the bag was. There were 2 dozen eggs, 2 dozen cookies and about 3 dozen meat sandwiches. Rene plans to reorganize the truck for comfort and workability. Kimbra Wolf plans showing up on Monday morning to help distribute some of the socks and bus passes she donated to Shoulder the Cross. Connie Park will be there to help with coffee and chips. Even Tom Kopecky said he wanted to stop by to help. Just a few short months ago, Shoulder the Cross was a ministry of one. Today we have over 12 members. The next goal of the ministry will be to get a truck for distribution. If anyone reading this knows of a dealership wanting to donate a truck, please contact us through the website at http://shoulderthecross.org. Last week, shoulder the Cross was serving our brother and sisters in need on 3 different days. Monday was covered as it usually is. Friday, AlanMichael Luck distributed with his best friend Aaron Gonzalez. AlanMichael told stories about Marcus, a 32 year old machinist. He mentioned that Marcus has only been on the streets for about 7 days now. AlanMichael really liked Marcus and was impressed with positive outlook. It was evident that Marcus was scared, but doing what he needed to survive. On Saturday, Rene joined us to learn the ropes. Rene has such a comforting demeanor, all the friends on the street immediately warmed to her soft heart. We spoke with Gregory on Saturday, who was there with his 4 legged companion. Gregory told us how he had spent 32 sleepless hours recently. Not sure of why, we prayed for Gregory and his Diogee, as he called him. We also brought water out on Saturday. After 90 minutes with our homeless friends, almost 5 gallons of water were consumed. We served about 45 homeless friends in all. I know that God is doing some amazing things with this organization. Please be with us in prayer as we continue to do the work of Jesus, and grow as a ministry.

Power of Prayer, Grace and Sovereignty

It was another great morning for Shoulder the Cross in Austin Texas on 5/23/2011. All the guys were so happy to see Aaron Cauble from "The Justin Cofield Band" last week. Aaron had help from Will Scott, the bass guitarist and Connie Park, an Austin Stone partner there to help out while I was in Dallas for training. One of the guys told me "We took really good care of them, we showed them all the ropes, we were so happy to see them." Another person shouted, "It was great timing because we didn't expect anyone and we were starving!" Shoulder the Cross is blessed to have Aaron, Will and Connie all be part of the ministry. Thanks for filling in.

This week, Tom Kopecky and Connie Parks came out to help. We had a lot of new requests along with normal ones this week. One lady asked us for ladies panties and sports bras. Other normal items requested that we didn't have this week were lotion, men’s underwear, backpacks, watches and ear plugs. We will stock up on these items before our run again next Monday. The new requests were a wallet, sunscreen, water bottles and shower shoes. The request for a bible will be filled on Sunday, when Andy joins us at church. We will get snack bags from the dollar tree and t-shirt bags from Sam' Club.

Shoulder the Cross is running low on clothes as well. We made a trip to the Kyle Library thrift store last week, now we just need to find the 10-12 hours it normally takes to sort through all the bags of clothes. A friend of ours came into the Shoulder the Cross garage this weekend and said "You really need to get your trash taken out!!" It was then they found this heaping pile of trash bags were filled with donated men’s clothing items, yet to be sorted. Thanks to everyone who has supported us in prayer recently. God's sovereignty is powerful through prayer, it is evident.

Please join us as we pray for Andy and his drug and alcohol addictions. Andy asked for a bible this morning and asked for us to pray for his addictions.

Click here to find out how to help "SHOULDER THE CROSS"

Street Retreat in ATX, no birth certificate required ...

It was another awesome week serving the homeless in Austin TX. Shoulder the Cross was privileged to serve those on the annual Easter street retreat hosted by @MLFNOW - Mobile Loaves and Fishes. Rene came through the line this week and kindly said "Are you sure you can spare a sandwich for me?" We made 3 loaves of bread worth of sandwiches this week, so of course there were plenty to go around. Rene expressed interest in helping us with bus passes and socks. We also met Lamar this week. Lamar, @lamarstockton is a local artist who plays the bass guitar. Lamar fills in for the Justin Cofield Band, @justincofield from time to time and we know the JCB very well. Many of the members of the JCB have been out to "help Shoulder the Cross" in the past. There was a nurse who also stopped by for a sandwich and some hot cocoa. She also expressed her interest to help. One of the street retreaters needed a Band-Aid and some triple antibiotic cream. "You never know what you might need on the streets, then when you do need it, you find out how hard it is to get it" she explained. We were happy to help all those in need. Rene is a radio producer for a local Christian radio station, KLGO at klgo.net. She has invited Shoulder the Cross onto the show to bring widened awareness to homelessness in Austin Texas. Lamar plans on helping Shoulder the Cross real soon and I should hear from the nurse soon. I listened to Amy Dillon Live this morning. Alan Graham referred to a quote by Mother Teresa that really gets you thinking:

"It is very important that right from the beginning, we simply live the Gospel. Live the Gospel in prayer; live the Gospel in words. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t reach the height right away. The fullness of our heart comes in our actions: how I treat the leper, how I treat the dying person, how I treat the homeless. Sometimes it is more difficult to work with street people than with the people in our homes for the dying because the dying are peaceful and waiting; they are ready to go to God. You can touch the sick and believe, or you can touch the leper and believe, that is the body of Christ you are touching, but it is more difficult when these people are drunk or shouting to think that this is Jesus in that distressing disguise. How clean and loving our hands must be to be able to bring compassion to them!"

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

 

 

God with us

Shoulder the Cross has been struggling with allowing the ministry to grow. Sometimes it feels like blogging and talking about Shoulder the Cross is contrary to what is taught in the gospel of Mathew.

Mathew 6:1

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

Matt Carter, the lead pastor at the Austin Stone Community Church, mentioned last Sunday that he was brought to tears when he felt the Lord spoke to him while on a mission trip in Belize. It was a great story of how God uses others to reveal himself to you, the sermon, God with us,  can be downloaded HERE. I was moved by his story and wished I had a similar story to share.

On Monday Shoulder the Cross was at the Dollar Tree getting some deodorant and body powder for our brothers and sisters in need. There was a woman standing behind us that seemed to be having some trouble breathing. Being allergy season in Texas right now, it was assumed that the oak pollen had gotten the best of her. Again we were drawn to her and weren’t sure if it was her breathing or what. This time she looked at us and asked "What ministry are you buying all that stuff for?" We almost always have people question us as to why we buy so much in bulk and usually are asked if it is for a quick stop store or for a resale shop somewhere but never has someone actually said to us "What ministry is this for" Quickly we asked "Why would you assume this is for a ministry? We never get asked that question" The bovine black woman looked and said "Because I am a profit of our Lord Jesus Christ, I was planning on shopping at a different dollar tree but God drew me to this one so I could meet you. I would like to get more involved in your ministry and I should let you know I think it is great what you are doing for the less fortunate" Tears rolled down my face as she continued to talk about how God lead her to this store and how He wants her to get more involved in homeless ministries. The conversation lasted about 5 minutes and ended in pleasantries. We expected to see her again either at the checkout or in the store but she disappeared. Shoulder the Cross believes that his was a sign from God telling us we are doing the right thing by blogging and spreading the word about our ministry. Later a book called "The Shack" was thought of and we could help but to compare the book to our meeting that day. We are more proud than ever to be serving our brothers and sisters on the streets with food, clothing, daily items and dignity and we plan to expand the ministry as much as God leads us to in the future.

 

Facebook reunion, the flu and kilometers of fun

Shoulder the Cross had a very interesting week this week. Connie came back after battling illness for about 2 weeks. Connie was greeted with welcoming, open arms when she showed up. We decided to increase the sandwich count to 36 this week. Fears of running out of food too quickly are what drove this decision. One of the good friends of Shoulder the Cross, James, came through the line this week, in a better mood than ever seen before. When asked about his mood, James explained that he has been sober and off drugs for 3 days. He explained that his 11 year old daughter, Brianna, had found him on facebook and wanted to see him. After speaking with his ex-wife he agreed to stop drinking and doing drugs so he could see his precious butterfly that he hasn’t seen since she was 2. We bowed our heads together and prayed for God’s blessings to continue to flourish their relationship. His daughter lives in Atlanta GA. His plan was to buy a bus ticket with his SSI payment, expected at midnight that night. James remains in our prayers with hopes of a happy ending. We also had several new guys show up this week. One guy told us his name was kilometer. He explained this was a nickname he earned in high school. His given name is Miles and his friends from school chose to convert his name to the metric system. Thanks to God’s glory 50 or so homeless people were served this week. God bless them all and please take some time to say a pray for James and his daughter Brianna who were reunited this week.

 

Rolling Blackouts, Saying Godbye

After a long and cold week, Shoulder the Cross went downtown to serve the brothers and sisters in need. I saw on the news how there were many affected by the rolling blackouts. I read that there were some who were very upset with these blackouts. One person sent a blog reply to me saying:

I found myself complaining during the recent hard freeze and the following “Rolling Blackouts” in our state to conserve electricity. I thought, “don’t they know I have two infants at home?!” And then I remembered those far more under-resourced than myself who don’t have the luxury of 4 walls around them and a place to build a fire if needed. How quickly we forget to use our blessings to bless others.                                          -Jonathan

All the jackets and sweaters went real fast this week while serving this week. A lot of shoes were handed out as well. It turned out to be a great morning. Almost all the sandwiches were gone. All the chips and snickers disappeared very quickly. Connie got a new nickname; they call her the Snickers lady. I think it is pretty cool how my friends on the street make names up for the frequent helpers of Shoulder the Cross. There is more cold weather coming later in the week, so I hope we provided enough warm clothing for my friends on the street.

I got some really sad news this week. A long time friend and companion of Shoulder the Cross has passed on. I found out that Mark Wolf died sometime this past September in some sort of alcohol related death, or so it is believed. Mark was a friendly guy. He was kind of a self survivor. He didn’t have a lot of friends he hung around. I remember he always asked for nylon shorts. He wore a size 9 shoe, medium t-shirt and loved the ham and cheese sandwiches. Mark always got socks when he could. He only wanted white socks. Every time I had underwear he would ask for a pair and get so excited when I gave them to him.   I remember helping Mark with a computer he found in a dumpster once. He needed some spare parts to get it working and Shoulder the Cross was able to acquire for him. There are so many ways Mark Wolf shaped who Shoulder the Cross is today and I am grateful to him for that. Many times in my ministry I see people come and go. I feel connected to a lot of those who disappear and I always wonder what ever happens to them. I usually tell myself that they have moved on to a better place. Mark was a good and honest man. I know now that he too has moved on to a better place. You will be surely missed.

CRAZY LOVE

I struggled with what to blog this week after Shoulder the Cross served those in need. I was inspired after reading parts of “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan. Many times people have asked why Shoulder the Cross does what we do. It is a difficult question to answer sometimes. It is “calling” is normally the response. I have always seen this as an easy way out, the easy answer with no follow-up. After reading 1John 3:16-20 I realized there is a much better answer.

1 John 3:16-20

This is how we know what love is: Jesus laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with action and truth, This then is how we know we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us.

There are times when Shoulder the Cross gets discouraged and questions the motive of giving. After reading this truth it is evident that the ministry is strong and must remain encouraged. I got word today that Shoulder the Cross was denied a Community Service award. I was ok with this. I truly was humbled to even be considered for this award. I am humbled to say that Shoulder the Cross was represented at the Austin Giving City givers ball this week, hoping this will help us grow I couldn’t see missing it. I want the ministry to grow and on the same hand I want to remain humble, I struggle with this. So what is next? Shoulder the Cross is a small ministry with plenty of room to grow. At this time I ask for your prayers. Pray for growth, pray for dissolving the need and more community involvement. I ask that no matter where you are, no matter what you believe, whether you have money or not, do something for someone this week. A random act of kindness. Make it a habit not an occasion. Do it this month, this year, do it out of love. “Whatever you do for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” – Mathew 25:40.

Don’t use any of these excuses: I don’t live close enough to help Shoulder the Cross - Shoulder your own Cross. I am not comfortable with those types of people – Help the person in line at the store counting their change to pay their grocery bill. I don’t know how to help – Ask Jesus to guide you then answer the call.  I do enough; I tithe at church – If you actually saw Jesus starving would you resist helping him because you tithe at church.

You may find yourself struggle, like we do at Shoulder the Cross, and that is ok, just keep on loving.