Shoulder The Cross

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.

 

Tropical Storm Hermine Packs a Punch!!

Last Friday I went downtown to feed my friends with supplies, food, love and dignity, and it was raining. Little did I know this was going to be the start of one of the wettest weeks in Austin history. Tropical storm Hermine packed in with a punch this week. It always amazes me to think that while we are all nice and warm in our houses watching through our windows as it rains 13-17 inches in many places, there are people living out there without shelter, and how miserable this must be. It's hard to believe that there are homeless people living on the greenbelt, on the streets or hidden away somewhere in the woods. One man told me his story; He had a perfect place to hide his stuff, keeping it from either being taken by police or stolen. He said he had everything well thought through so he could keep his treasured items safe. Everything, he says, except Mother Nature. He stood helpless as he watched his belongings get swept away by one of many flash floods that hit the Austin area this week. Could I get a blanket, backpack, jeans, t-shirt, rain gear, hot-cocoa, sandwich and finally the most needed Tylenol and vitamin C? I filled his order with a short prayer. He walked away with a smile. I later heard him say he was going to start over again. Why does this happen? How can we help? Yesterday I helped some homeless friends lift themselves from the streets. They needed help moving into a small economy apartment. I filled my truck and we filled the small apartment with their stuff. Several backpack and bags filled with all they owned. As we finished up, they seemed happy and satisfied. I thought to myself, 2 more people off the streets.  The Bible speaks plainly about homelessness: “If any of your Israelite relatives fall into poverty and cannot support themselves, support them as you would a resident foreigner and allow them to live with you. Do not demand an advance or charge interest on the money you lend them. Instead, show your fear of God by letting them live with you as your relatives” (Leviticus 25:35-36 ). "No, the kind of fasting I want calls you to free those who are wrongly imprisoned and to stop oppressing those who work for you. Treat them fairly and give them what they earn. I want you to share your food with the hungry and to welcome poor wanderers into your homes. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help. If you do these things, your salvation will come like the dawn. Yes, your healing will come quickly. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the LORD will protect you from behind” (Isaiah 58:6-8).

Santa Brings Smiles

 

Many folks have asked me why I do what I do. This blog entry will show one of many reasons why. I flew back from a client site on Friday the 12 of December. I asked Elvis, a homeless man, to meet me at 7 PM at the park. It was our plan for Elvis to come over and do some painting and tile work at my house. Elvis stays in the pop-up camper in the yard while he is at my house. I landed earlier than I had expected and had time to kill, so I went to the park to say hello to my friends. Leta, one of the few homeless women I see, approached me with great joy. She wished me an early Merry Christmas and asked if I had sent my letter to Santa yet. She explained to me, even though she was 51 years old, she still believed in Santa. I asked Leta if she had sent Santa a letter and what she asked for. She explained she sent him a letter but never hears back from him. She does not remember ever asking for anything nor ever getting anything for Christmas but she really thought her Christmas prayer would be answered. I told Leta that I had an in for Santa Clause through Mrs. Clause.  I asked her if she had a letter for Santa that I could give to Mrs. Clause. She reached into her bag and pulled out her Christmas wish list and handed it to me. I told her I would do my best to get her letter to Santa. Recently I had a good friend who is struggling with his beliefs in God. I found these stories to be quite parallel. To my friend with doubts I quoted The same quote Jordan Shipley quoted Hunter Lawrence just before the game winning field goal in the big 12 Championship.

Jeremiah 17:7 

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.

For my homeless friend Leta, I am hoping to bring her joy and grace with her special present from Santa.

IT'S BEEN TOO LONG

It has been way too long since I blogged last. So much has happened and I have not posted a thing. Last week was an amazing week for me. My friend Daryl Pickens joined me on Saturday. Daryl is a very compassionate person and this was evident on Saturday. He was talking to my friends like he has known them for years. He actually recognized one of my friends, Alfred. Alfred and his twin brother Albert once lived in Killeen and Daryl would see them downtime Killeen quite frequently from what he said. Daryl asked me "Why do I do this". This was such an easy question to answer. I pointed a friend out who was wearing a coat, a pair of paints and I shirt I gave him weeks prior to this one. I watched as he ate the sandwich I just gave him and shared the Girl Scout cookies I gave him with others on the street. This is why I do it I told Daryl, these small gestures made a difference in his life. I am looking forward to next Saturday and I hope to see Daryl join me again.

AMERICAN IDOL, KRIS ALEN, REAL REALITY OR JUST TV REALITY?

Saturday morning came snuck up on me very quickly. Dedicating my Saturday mornings to http://shoulderthecross.org can get very time consuming. I travel during the week and get back sometime Friday evening. I wake up about 7:30 Saturday morning to go downtown to help my homeless friends. Some wonder and ask, why? In response, I asked someone once, what is your favorite TV show? They immediately answered "American Idol, that Kris Alen guy from Conway Arkansas sure is a really nice guy." I was amazed at how quick they were to answer this question. I was also intrigued that their answer was a "Reality" TV show. Reality for me is the humbling service of helping Austin's Homeless. I follow other blogs on http://alphainventions.com/ and rarely see writings about the street reality.

I was loading empty boxes back into my truck on Saturday morning after serving the homeless, when Billy came running up the street. "Hey Brian" he screamed, "Do you have anymore coffee? I would hate for it to go to waste" As Billy approached my truck I said, "Anything for you Billy, how has your week gone?" I asked him. "It's been rough, and there is a long weekend ahead. I hope to stay out of trouble" "What kind of trouble" I inquired curiously. "I want to stay off the crystal meth this weekend. I don't want to be so tempted to get high. It is so easy to get drugs here is Austin. I just need to stay away from it all." I asked Billy if he needed help, I offered to take him to rehab. "Rehab didn't work the last 7 times I went, I am afraid it won't work for me this time either. I just need to get out of Austin. I think I will be leaving on Tuesday for Galveston. It is a new city and I will not know where to score the drugs there. It is too hard to stay clean in Austin and I hope will be a easier in a new environment." I quizzed Billy on whether finding drugs in Galveston would be just as easy as Austin. He explained "I will always be able to find the drugs. I won't have the friends I have here in Austin. My previous drug counselors, all 7 of them, called me "The Hopeless Variety" wanting a change in their life but just not having the will power to quit" I later googled this and learned that by hopeless, Billy meant what the progression of crystal meth leads to, death. Having a car gives Billy an advantage over most homeless men and women. Could this be more of a hindrance for him? "It's easier to find work" Billy says "It's harder to keep the job when you buy meth with your earnings. I have a problem I have tried to fix but just can't seem to get ahead of it. I caused my homelessness and in today's life and times it is even more difficult to lift yourself off the street. Please pray for me. Right now that is what will help me the most." Billy hugged me then wandered back up the street. He has never come to me when he was strung up on drugs and appears so normal and capable of anything. Some Americans have reality like Kris Alen, others have reality like daily struggles with drugs and alcohol. It's a disease of reality for Billy and many others on the streets of Austin.

 

Swine Flu? Laryngitis. Take it easy, Don't stress

A few weeks ago I had laryngitis, this week, my friends wished I did. I was back to razzing everyone on Saturday. Dogman's turn in line soon came, as he is always near the front of the line. He likes to just talk. He gave me another gift. He seems to do that a lot. He doesn't have much but if he finds something I might like, he always saves it for me. One week it was a pair of sunglasses for my grandson. This week it was a Dilbert head. When you squeeze the head it talks. It says "Take it easy, don't stress. Watch it, cool it, take a deeeep breath! Take it easy" This made my day. It is a very awesome feeling to get a gift of thanks from someone who has almost nothing. This makes answering the question "Why do you do it?" very simple.

T-shirts are a hot commodity this time of year. It seems not long ago I had no room in my garage for all the t-shirts. This week the supply was so low, I could only give out one t-shirt per customer. I made a trip to the Kyle thrift store on Saturday afternoon, so I am hoping to get enough t-shirts to last for a while. Check out http://shoulderthecross.org if you have t-shirts lying around you would like to donate. Click on the Donations link to find out how!

I read a comment to a previous blog post yesterday. I was not sure how to receive it. He says "I like going to see Brian on Saturdays because he does not mention God, Jesus, or the Bible, he just helps." I never want my friends to think they owe me something for me helping them, such as to listen to me preach. All of my friends know I study the bible and will counsel to the best of my ability, if needed. Should these comments "I like going to see Brian on Saturdays because he does not mention God, Jesus, or the Bible, he just helps." make me feel good, bad or indifferent?

The COLD breeze brings WARM hearts

It was a cold 43 degrees this morning in Austin Texas ... and it is the end of March. My truck pulls up to 50 people waiting patiently in line this morning. "Welcome Brian" the line screams. Robert says, "Why is it cold every morning when you show up? Aren't you from Minnesota?" It is true though, it seems that lately it could be 80 degrees on Friday, but first thing Saturday morning the weather gets finger numbing cold. Mississippi was in the front of the line. It has been months since I have seen Mississippi. "Where ya been?" I ask." "I have been hanging low lately" he says. Mississippi always brings such joy to me when I see him, I was very excited to see him today. I asked him if he cut in line though, because he is NEVER first in line. He said "Nope, I got here at 3AM and I have been waiting ever since" What a humbling thought. As I lay so comfortable and warm in my bed, Mississippi was thinking of me and looking forward to me coming just a mere 6 hours later. Carl approached me this morning. He told me his friend Robert was too humble to ask for a pair of 9 1/2 Wide shoes. He said "Could you try to surprise him with a pair next week?" Lets think about this … while we spend our week trying to make ends meet ... going to Wal-Mart to get the "Cheaper" food, eating out because the subs are only $5, driving the extra mile to get the gas that is $1.85 not $1.89 and Robert is on the street with his good friend Carl … too humble to ask for a pair of shoes because his have holes in them and they hurt his feet. THIS is why I serve the homeless every week. It has come to the point of where I don't serve them, they now serve me.

Spiritual Gifts

So after listening to Matt Carter preach on Sunday about spiritual gifts, I decided to once again hit the streets of Austin to feed the homeless for the second time this week. I decided not to make cookies or eggs. I made 12 sandwiches (a loaf of bread) and brought my normal goodies in my truck. I figured I would see maybe 6 or 7 people out at the park that I could round up. I thought if I had extra sandwiches, I could pass them out to gracious hands at the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless (ARCH). Boy was I surprised when I showed up. There was a line of guys and girls standing there waiting. I thought, WOW talk about spiritual gifts, which one is this? Prophecy? So I get out of my truck in amazement and Chris from Maine walks up and says in his New England accent, "We were right Brian, God spoke to us and told us you were coming, we doubted at first, but we believe now" While this may seem amazing, I was scared to doubt it. I did tell one person, Wayne, that I was coming out this morning and thought to myself, he sure has a big voice with there homeless folks. Most of the guys stayed amused at my amazement for quite some time. I saw a line forming about 30 feet behind my truck, this is when I figured out they were waiting for me, they were waiting for the taco guy to bring tacos from Rudy's BBQ. What great news to hear. I was excited that someone else was helping so early in the morning every Tuesday. I was also happy to help those in need this morning. Thanks Matt Carter for a humbling message this past Sunday. I feel much more humbled by my ministry of serving my brothers and sisters in need.

What can you buy with $1.10?

“I’ll take a watch, a radio, AAA batteries please, Q-tips, Multi-vitamins, Pain reliever, a ham sandwich, some chips, cookies and a hot cocoa please. Can I give you a donation? Here is $1.10 for your trouble Brian. I know it’s not much, but it is all I have.” What a great story this is. I wanted to take the dollar and frame it. Not many understand why this small overfills me with the Holy Spirit. Some people ask me, “Why do you do it?” I say “Freely I have received, freely I give” This thing I do on Saturdays, this is my $1.10 in giving, it’s what I can do right now and I hope to let it continue to grow. Someday, we could help many more but this is all I can give right now. This reminds me of a story I once heard:

 

 A little boy went to church alone one Sunday. When the offering basket came around, his pockets were empty. People urged him to pass the basket and not worry about putting anything in there. The boy stood up and walked to the aisle, put the basket on the ground and stood in it. “This is all I have Lord” he said.