A Plea for Prayer

I posted recently about the feeling of unrest I have sensed in the neighborhood. It's amazing how you can sense the demons that are at work here. Since that post in October, things have only gotten worse. I wish I could describe the feeling that I have, but I guess we'll just leave it at discernment. It's sort of like a blanket of sadness...you just know that things aren't right. There's a sense of grieving there too, although not for one specific person. Instead, it's for hundreds of people. It's grieving about life, rather than death.

Since the last post, Marshall and I had our tires slashed over Thanksgiving. No reason that I know of as to why, other than an attempt by Satan to discourage us. There have been two shootings this week, the first was a young woman who was shot in "rear end," and thankfully only had minor injuries. The second was a man who died as a result of his injuries (in the article, he's the one who was shot on Gregory St). Just before Thanksgiving, one of the boys I have spent time with in the past was shot, most likely as a result of gang violence. While he's not in our direct neighborhood, he's less than a mile away.

So, now I am asking you to please pray. Pray for our neighborhood, pray for the safety of the people who live here. Pray that the Lord would shower love on the men and women who would do evil. I don't want them to leave, I want them to be transformed. And I believe it can and will happen. Please join us in praising God for our neighbors, and praising Him in advance for the amazing change that is to come in Glenwood.

A Day of Reunion

As I got out of my car today I heard the familiar call that I have missed so much for the past several months - -“Hey there young lady!” It was *Bob! Bob is a homeless man who stays in my neighborhood quite often. He used to greet me with this, often yelling it from half a block away, several times a week. I looked forward to my chats with Bob. He used to tell me that even he could be a preacher! He’s always been one of my favorite people, mostly because of his constant joy, even in the midst of his heartbreaking situation. Today, we chatted about life, about his long family history in the Masons, and how the female counterpart to the Masons is a group called the Eastern Stars. He updated me on some work he’s been doing. Somehow it came up how old he is. Now, I’ve always assumed Bob was in his mid-50s. Turns out he’s only 43. It’s amazing how much the street can age a person.

True to form, Bob brightened up my day considerably. I don’t know that it was any one thing he said…just his presence.

Lord, I praise you for my dear friend Bob. I pray that he would know how much of a blessing he is to me. I ask that you would give me the opportunity to tell him. In a society where the poor and homeless are terribly mistreated and ignored, I pray that you would instill a sense of pride in Bob. Show him what it means to be adored and cared for by you, his Father. I thank you, Lord, for your unfailing faithfulness.


*Bob is a pseudonym