The Bob feeling.

You know that feeling you get when you know God is trying to get you to go do something?  I call it getting antsy.  Friday night was one of those antsy nights.  It started around 7:00 pm and by 7:45 I couldn't ignore it any longer I had to get out of the house and go do what God wanted me to do.  I made my way to the gas station to fill up the car. I was thinking, "God you got me out of the house on this rainy night will you please show me what you want me to do?" I had a great attitude and I was really excited for God to reveal something to me.

 I drove over to the grade school we had helped  out a few nights before. I decided to stop outside the dark playground and pray. I prayed for the students, teachers and the principal who by the way, sent me to his office when I was helping rake out the playground a few days before. He is a great guy who is doing some awesome things for his grade school but its a story for another night. When I got done praying, I felt that feeling again. Although praying for the school  felt great to do it wasn't the reason I was out.  So I tried another place. I went downtown a busy spot on a Friday night. I walked up and down the blocks praying God you sent me out what do you want me to do? I did this for an hour, walking up and down a 5 block stretch,  praying that God would just give me the reason for being out on this cool, rainy night. By 9:00 I got real honest with God. I was getting a little frustrated. God i'm out here doing what you asked me to do, and no one has said a word to me. I waited, Nothing. I decided that God just wanted me to listen and since I felt like I had, I prayed I could go home. As I was driving down the last block of "downtown" Out of the corner of my eye I saw him. Bob! The answer to my prayer. I pulled over quickly and ran over to "his" bench as he would say.  Bob a 59 year old homeless man living under a tree in one of the parks near downtown.  We had first met a few weeks back when he was picking through the trash to find his meal for the night. The man that made my heart ache.  

I sat down next to Bob and we picked up where we had left of at the restaurant a few weeks before.  Small talk at first then a little more serious. I asked him where we were going to eat that night, and he told me I was crazy.  He said you plan on taking me out to eat every time we meet up? I replied with a yes I do. He said, boy I don't understand you. The next hour was full of food, stories, laughter and a few tears. We were two strangers who have become friends.

I sit here at my desk in my warm home and write about a  man who has inspired me to continue to change the way people perceive other people and how they live. A man who has two college degrees,has  fought wars, traveled the country on foot, has a family and is far more intelligent than what his appearance would show. A man who had a dream in Bozeman and lost everything. A man not so different than most of us.  As a matter of fact, he has less worries in a day than I do.

I believe we are called to help those that have lost faith in themselves to get back on their feet again. I believe we are to show them love and hope. The Bible says to take care of the less fortunate. We ALL need to do it. God has placed a man in my path a man that I know was the reason I felt the way I did Friday night. This man is Bob. I pray for God to continue to bring people into my life that He will change forever. I pray that God will use me and my resources like my garage that Bob will be to sleep in when it gets colder outside (He refuse to sleep in our spare room). I pray that all of you will step out and help someone that God has placed in your path. When you look at someone with nothing, I hope you see how much you truly have. I hope you take those resources and time to be Jesus to someone who doesn't know him. I hope you get the Bob feeling. The feeling that you need to help a person who may just want a stranger to listen who will then become a friend.

Peace out and God Bless
Andy