Dangerous church a God size mission.
I'm not a soap box fan. I don't like to brag about things I have accomplished. I will admit that I do say the words i'm awesome a lot, and need to work on that. I will tell you I am a huge fan of bragging about God.
October 2011 my wife and I had just finished a prayer walk around downtown and were meeting up with the rest of the group at a local ice cream shop to talk. God had a lot more going on that night than I could ever imagine. Fifty feet from the ice cream shop we pass an older gentleman stopped at a garbage can. Not wanting anyone to see him rummaging through it he leans on it and kinda looks down. My wife and I only made it ten more feet and stopped. I didn't have to look at her to know she was thinking the same thing. So I turn around and walk towards the man and say "excuse me sir, could I get you something to eat?" Surprised and a little taken back that this young guy would ask to get him food reluctantly said yes. I took him Sloppy Dawg's a local hot dog joint. We talked and ate and after an hour went our separate ways. I went home that night to my 3 bedroom condo, curled up next to my beautiful wife in my queen size bed. As I lay that night my heart ached for the homeless man by the name of Mr Bob, and God said what are you going to do for this man? The man who's eyes you stared in to for an hour and listened to his story of pain, suffering, and loneliness. What are you going to do? I couldn't sit still over the next three nights I went out with no success of finding him. Then on rainy cold night I was taking my last pass through downtown and there he was walking his bike on the sidewalk to a bench under a lit store front. I pulled over sat down next to him and began to tell him what was going on in the depths of my soul. I told him that that I had an extra room that he could stay in when it started to get to cold to sleep under the tree at the park. He rapidly declined and I gave him my number and told him that I would see him again soon. A few days later my family and I were out of town and I got a phone call. It was Mr Bob. He began to tell me that it was supposed to be the first snow soon and was wondering if he didn't want my extra room but my garage would be a perfect place. We got back and I turned my storage loft in to a one bedroom man cave. I insulated the upstairs and God granted me with a mattress, microwave, lamp and space heater. To fast forward a few months Mr. Bob and I would have a conversation every morning as I was getting in my car, he would yell down "Good morning sir off to change the world are you?" and I would say "Good morning sir just trying to do what God asks of me." He then would always end with you will, you will. Summer came and Mr. Bob loved the outdoors so spent less and less time in the man cave. Then the day came where we had to tell Mr Bob we were moving across town. He as encouraging as ever said you have to do what is best for your family. Ill be fine. Its been a month since I have seen Mr Bob and its the middle of September I know Mr Bob is alive, he has spent the last month camping out in the hills. I have a friend that works at the local food bank and he comes down every few days to chat and get some food. I looked outside this morning and the leaves are starting to change. It got down to 37 the other night, and all I can think about is Mr. Bob is out there and its getting colder and colder. God is asking me to step up again and this time for real.
I prayed and God said that with me all things are possible so here is what is going to happen. Mr Bob turns 60 in 3 weeks and we are going to get Mr. Bob a place to live. Yes, I said we. I have some Realtor friends and they are searching for a place. Nothing fancy maybe a fixer upper, but a place that can house up to 3 people. Mr Bob and two more guys. God never told me just to stop at Mr Bob he told me to reach all people. We are going to use this as a stepping stone to help many more people like Mr Bob.
Our next sermon series at Venture is Dangerous Church. We are talking about doing everything short of sin to save someones soul. We realize that every person matters and we are willing to take some risks to get them to know who the God of the Universe is. We are willing to get out of our comfort zones so that God will work through us. That is our prayer and our mission for Venture, but I want to extend this mission to everyone who reads this. What Dangerous thing are you going to do?
Mine its the Bob decision, and you can join me in it. Pray that we find a place soon. Pray that we get the finances to pay for it. Pray Mr Bob doesn't have to spend another night out in the cold. Message or call me to find out how. Live a little Dangerous for Christ and see what he will do with your life.
God Bless,
Andy
October 2011 my wife and I had just finished a prayer walk around downtown and were meeting up with the rest of the group at a local ice cream shop to talk. God had a lot more going on that night than I could ever imagine. Fifty feet from the ice cream shop we pass an older gentleman stopped at a garbage can. Not wanting anyone to see him rummaging through it he leans on it and kinda looks down. My wife and I only made it ten more feet and stopped. I didn't have to look at her to know she was thinking the same thing. So I turn around and walk towards the man and say "excuse me sir, could I get you something to eat?" Surprised and a little taken back that this young guy would ask to get him food reluctantly said yes. I took him Sloppy Dawg's a local hot dog joint. We talked and ate and after an hour went our separate ways. I went home that night to my 3 bedroom condo, curled up next to my beautiful wife in my queen size bed. As I lay that night my heart ached for the homeless man by the name of Mr Bob, and God said what are you going to do for this man? The man who's eyes you stared in to for an hour and listened to his story of pain, suffering, and loneliness. What are you going to do? I couldn't sit still over the next three nights I went out with no success of finding him. Then on rainy cold night I was taking my last pass through downtown and there he was walking his bike on the sidewalk to a bench under a lit store front. I pulled over sat down next to him and began to tell him what was going on in the depths of my soul. I told him that that I had an extra room that he could stay in when it started to get to cold to sleep under the tree at the park. He rapidly declined and I gave him my number and told him that I would see him again soon. A few days later my family and I were out of town and I got a phone call. It was Mr Bob. He began to tell me that it was supposed to be the first snow soon and was wondering if he didn't want my extra room but my garage would be a perfect place. We got back and I turned my storage loft in to a one bedroom man cave. I insulated the upstairs and God granted me with a mattress, microwave, lamp and space heater. To fast forward a few months Mr. Bob and I would have a conversation every morning as I was getting in my car, he would yell down "Good morning sir off to change the world are you?" and I would say "Good morning sir just trying to do what God asks of me." He then would always end with you will, you will. Summer came and Mr. Bob loved the outdoors so spent less and less time in the man cave. Then the day came where we had to tell Mr Bob we were moving across town. He as encouraging as ever said you have to do what is best for your family. Ill be fine. Its been a month since I have seen Mr Bob and its the middle of September I know Mr Bob is alive, he has spent the last month camping out in the hills. I have a friend that works at the local food bank and he comes down every few days to chat and get some food. I looked outside this morning and the leaves are starting to change. It got down to 37 the other night, and all I can think about is Mr. Bob is out there and its getting colder and colder. God is asking me to step up again and this time for real.
I prayed and God said that with me all things are possible so here is what is going to happen. Mr Bob turns 60 in 3 weeks and we are going to get Mr. Bob a place to live. Yes, I said we. I have some Realtor friends and they are searching for a place. Nothing fancy maybe a fixer upper, but a place that can house up to 3 people. Mr Bob and two more guys. God never told me just to stop at Mr Bob he told me to reach all people. We are going to use this as a stepping stone to help many more people like Mr Bob.
Our next sermon series at Venture is Dangerous Church. We are talking about doing everything short of sin to save someones soul. We realize that every person matters and we are willing to take some risks to get them to know who the God of the Universe is. We are willing to get out of our comfort zones so that God will work through us. That is our prayer and our mission for Venture, but I want to extend this mission to everyone who reads this. What Dangerous thing are you going to do?
Mine its the Bob decision, and you can join me in it. Pray that we find a place soon. Pray that we get the finances to pay for it. Pray Mr Bob doesn't have to spend another night out in the cold. Message or call me to find out how. Live a little Dangerous for Christ and see what he will do with your life.
God Bless,
Andy
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